^^^ 


*     FEB   7  1910      *! 


BS    538    .M27    1909 

MacPhail,  Malcolm  L.  b. 

1877. 
The  magnetism  of  the  Bible 


^4 


1-     FEB    7  1910 
(Breen  3funO  JSoofe  1fto.  IS^  >, 


THE    MAGNETISM   OF 
THE  BIBLE 


BY 


MALCOLM  L.  MacPHAIL,  M.  A., 

MINISTER,  SCOTCH  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


A  PRIZE  BOOK 


PHILADELPHIA 

AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION 

i8i6  Chestnut  Street 

1909 


Copyright,  1909,  by  thk  Ambrican  Sunday-School  Union. 


€0  mp  533ife 


PUBLISHERS'  NOTE. 


This  volume  is  issued  by  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union  under  the  John  C.  Green  Income 
Fund.  The  Fund  was  founded  in  1877,  by  Robert 
Lenox  Kennedy,  on  behalf  of  the  residuary  legatees 
of  John  C.  Green,  and  with  the  cordial  concurrence 
of  Mrs.  Green.  Among  other  things,  the  gift  pro- 
vides that  one-sixth  of  the  net  interest  and  income 
of  the  Fund  shall  be  set  aside ;  and  whenever  the 
same  amounts  to  one  thousand  dollars  the  Union 
shall  apply  the  sum  "  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  in 
securing  a  Sunday-school  literature  of  the  highest 
order  of  merit."  This  may  be  done  "either  by 
procuring  works  upon  a  given  subject  germane  to 
the  objects  of  the  Society,  to  be  written  or  compiled 
by  authors  of  established  reputation  and  known 
ability,  ...  or  by  offering  premiums  for  manuscripts 
suitable  for  publication  by  said  Union,  in  accordance 
with  the  purposes  and  objects  of  its  institution." 
The  premium  plan  is  to  be  followed  at  least  once 
out  of  every  three  times.  The  Union  is  to  control 
the  copyright,  reducing  the  price  of  the  book  in 
consideration  thereof.  The  individual  traits  and 
responsibility  of  the  author  are  retained  by  giving 
him  large  liberty  respecting  the  literary  form,  style 
and  treatment  of  the  subject. 

This  book,  "  The  Magnetism  of  the  Bible,"  digs  in 
an  old  mine  where  new  riches  are  always  to  be  found. 
That  it  won  a  first  prize  in  competition  with  many 
worthy  and  scholarly  works  indicates  its  freshness 
and  merit.  It  presents  a  store  of  information  and 
thought  which  fully  justifies  its  title,  making  it 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  thoughtful  readers. 

October,  1909. 

5 


CONTENTS. 


PJLGB 
9 

Preface 

CHAPTER  I. 
Mighty  Influence  on  the  World 

CHAPTER  II. 

31 
AMONG  THE  Sacred  Books 

CHAPTER  III. 

54 

Diversified  Unity 

CHAPTER  IV. 

72 

Choicest  Literature 

CHAPTER  V. 

.  100 

TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT 

CHAPTER  VI. 

"*18 
PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE ^ 

CHAPTER  VII. 

UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS 135 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

152 

REASONABLE    SUPERNATURALISM 

CHAPTER  IX. 

172 

MOTIVE  Power 

CHAPTER  X. 

196 

Comfort  

CHAPTER  XI. 

216 

Jesus  Christ. 

237 

Index '  * 

7 


PEEFACE. 

The  aim  of  this  book  is  to  present  the 
Bible  in  a  way  that  may  secure  for  it  a 
fair  consideration.  An  attempt  is  made  to 
show  the  excellency,  not  so  much  of  the 
features  which  are  more  or  less  superficial, 
as  of  those  fundamental  and  eternal 
values,  which,  when  seen  by  the  intelligent 
and  earnest,  will  grip  them.  This  will 
explain  why  debatable  grounds  are  not 
traversed,  except  where  it  seemed  neces- 
sary, either  to  make  clear  that  the  critical 
questions  pertained  to  things  not  belong- 
ing to  the  vital  features,  or  to  assure  that 
the  vital  features  are  immune  against  criti- 
cism which  destroys. 

"No  one  will  be  more  conscious  than  my- 
self how  imperfectly  I  have  executed  this 
design.  The  largest  hope  I  harbor  is,  that 
there  may  be  enough  suggested  on  each 
subject  to  lead  the  readers  to  prosecute  the 
study  further  for  themselves. 

I  have  found  very  suggestive,  in  the 
preparation  of  some  of  the  chapters,  Far- 
9 


PREFACE, 

rar's  The  Bible,  Its  Meaning  and  Su- 
premacyj  Storr's  The  Unity  and  the  Va- 
riety of  the  Bible,  Moulton's  The  Literary 
Study  of  the  Bible,  and  Halsey's  The  Lit- 
erary Attractions  of  the  Bible.  Acknowl- 
edgment of  indebtedness  to  others  will  be 
found  in  the  body  of  the  book.  I  have  re- 
ceived, in  the  final  revision,  valuable  ad- 
vice from  the  Editorial  Committee  of  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union. 

I  have  not  supposed  that  I  have  said 
anything  essentially  new.  The  forms  in 
which  the  old  is  marshalled  may  have  nov^ 
elty  sufficient,  for  a  little  while,  to  arrest 
the  attention  of  some,  and  turn  them  Bible- 
ward.    This  is  my  sole  purpose. 

Malcolm  L.  MacPhail. 
July  21,  1909. 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


CHAPTEE  I. 

MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WOELD. 

The  human  race  may  be  regarded  as  a  Inherent 

power,  or 
"  colossal  man  ''    who  has  passed  through     help  ? 

the  stages  of  infancy,  childhood,  youth,  and 
maturity  because  of  inherent  upward-pro- 
pelling powers ;  or  it  may  be  looked  upon  as 
such  a  being  who  has  passed  through  such 
stages  because  of  help  from  without.  The 
former  view  will  not  account  for  the  stag- 
nancy of  such  nations  as  India  and  China, 
which  were  at  the  height  of  their  suprem- 
acy when  Odin  and  Thor  were  worshipped 
on  the  Saxon  hills,  and  when  the  Druids 
burned  their  sacrifices  in  the  groves  of 
Britain.  !N^or  will  it  explain  the  degener- 
ation of  peoples  in  language,  literature,  art, 
science,  virtue,  national  vigor  and  religion, 
when  left  to  themselves,  such  as  happened 
11 


12  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

to  Assyria,  Babylonia,  Persia,  Greece  and 
Eome.  The  latter  view  takes  account  of 
and  explains  arrested  development  and  de- 
cay. It  attributes  progress  to  Divine  help. 
The  high  degree  of  civilization  of  the  great 
nations  of  antiquity  was  attained  through 
the  powers  from  without  supplied  to  man 
at  the  beginning.  Their  deterioration 
came  through  disusing  or  misusing  those 
powers. 

Subsequent  to  God's  primeval  aid  to 
man,  mankind  has  been  helped  chiefly 
through  Israel  and  Christianity.  This 
help  was  originally  that  of  personality 
alone.  The  Hebrew  personality  was  pe- 
culiarly capable  of  a  moral  and  spiritual 
bent.  But  that  personality,  bent  by  God, 
was  increasingly  influenced  by  the  holy 
men  who  preceded  it,  and  that  through  the 
vision  of  life  which  their  writings  brought. 
The  divine  help,  issuing  through  Hebrew 
and  Christian,  we  may  rightly  regard  as 
being,  in  a  large  measure,  the  influence  of 
these  writings. 

In  noting  what  that  influence  has  been, 
it  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  it  has 
been  exerted  in  spite  of  opposition.  It 
will  make  the  effect  appear,  as  it  is,  all  the 
more  remarkable.     The  Bible  has  had  to 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  13 

overcome  the  opposition  of  rulers  like  Anti- 
ochus  Epiphanes,  who  lived  one  hundred 
and  sixty  years  before  Christ,  and  Diocle- 
tian, v^ho  lived  three  hundred  years  after; 
the  superstition  of  priests  v^ho  burned  its 
follov7ers  and  cast  them  to  the  lions;  the 
eloquence,  learning,  mockery,  philosophy, 
sarcasm,  sophistry,  subtlety  and  vulgarity 
of  men,  who  were  either  evil-doers  or  who 
lacked  spiritual  insight.  Celsus,  Porphyry, 
Hobbes,  Hume,  Gibbon,  Voltaire,  Chester- 
field, Ingersoll  and  many  others  have  tried 
to  discredit  it  or  mar  its  influence.  It  has 
neither  been  weakened  nor  destroyed. 
"  The  grass  withereth,  and  the  flower  f  all- 
eth:  but  the  word  of  the  Lord   abideth 


I.     Its  Religious  Influence, 

Upon  the  individual  who  reads  the  ^Po?.*^f 
Bible,  studies  it  properly,  and  listens  to  ual. 
its  interpretation  and  appeal,  the  effect  is 
revolutionary.  From  it  he  will  acquire 
the  true  knowledge  of  God,  faith,  repent- 
ance, the  spiritual  attainments  of  rever- 
ence, loyalty,  co-operation  with  God,  trust, 
joy,  fortitude,  hope  and  others.     Carlyle 

>  See  H.  TuUidge,  Triumphs  of  the  Bible^  pp.  14, 57-68. 


14  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

said  that  it  was  "  the  one  Book  wherein 
for  thousands  of  years,  the  spirit  of  man 
has  found  light  and  nourishment,  and  a  re- 
sponse to  whatever  was  deepest  in  the 
heart."  Matthew  Arnold  said,  "  The 
Bible  has  such  power  for  teaching  right- 
eousness that  even  to  those  who  come  to  it 
with  all  sorts  of  false  notions  about  the 
God  of  the  Bible,  it  yet  teaches  righteous- 
ness, and  fills  them  with  the  love  of  it; 
how  much  more  those  who  come  to  it  with 
a  true  notion  about  the  God  of  the  Bible  1  " 
'And  its  mighty,  religious  influence  Buckle 
was  constrained  to  acknowledge  when  he 
spoke  of  the  "  truths  which  comfort  the 
mind  of  man,  raise  him  above  the  instincts 
of  the  hour,  and  infuse  into  him  those  lofty 
aspirations,  which,  revealing  to  him  his 
own  immortality  are  the  measure  and 
symptom  of  a  future  life." 

This  influence  upon  individuals  began 
in  the  home  of  the  Hebrews  and  spread 
over  the  earth  with  remarkable  velocity. 
Eastward  into  India  with  her  philosophies ; 
southward  among  the  wild  tribes  of  Arabia, 
and  into  the  midst  of  Alexandrian  learn- 
ing in  Egypt;  northward  and  westward 
across  the  Mediterranean  into  the  polished 
centers  of  Greece,  into  lordly  Rome  and 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  15 

Carthage,  farther  off  into  the  wild  regions 
of  Spain,  Gaul  and  Britain,  into  Gothic 
lands  and  the  inclement  Russian  fastnesses, 
and  later  to  the  newly  discovered  lands  of 
America  and  Australia.  Wider  still  has 
the  Bible  influence  been  spread  in  more 
modern  times.  China  is  listening  to  the 
Word;  Japan,  Siam  and  Korea  have 
opened  their  door  to  the  apostles;  the 
South  Sea  islands  through  it  have  forsaken 
cannibalism,  and  it  is  equally  sought  by 
the  American  Indian  and  the  Bushman  of 
Africa.^ 

The  Bible's  religious  influence  on  the  na-  National 
tions,  in  all  spheres  of  the  people's  activity,  ence. 
is  a  consequent  of  the  influence  upon  the 
individual.  J.  H.  Green,  speaking  of  the 
giving  of  the  English  Bible  to  the  people, 
says,  "  The  effect  of  the  Bible  in  this  way 
was  simply  amazing.  The  whole  temper 
of  the  nation  was  changed.  A  new  con- 
ception of  life  and  man  superseded  the  old. 
A  new  moral  and  religious  impulse  spread 
,  through  every  class."  What  was  true  of 
.  England  has  been  true  of  all  lands  where 
the  Bible  has  gone,  in  so  far  as  its  benign 
rays  have  been  allowed  to  penetrate. 

*  See  Tullidge,  op.  ctf.,  pp.,  23,  24. 


15  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

II.     Its  Moral  Influence. 

Morality  The  morality  of  the  Bible  is  religious, 

books.  yet  the  Book  has  a  moral  influence  apart 
from  its  religious  influence.  The  influ- 
ence of  the  hooks  of  all  the  great  religions 
has  been  very  wide.  There  have  been  many 
individual  moralists  whose  teachings  were 
influential.  In  many  or  all  of  those  books 
there  are  truths  which  have  floated  down 
from  the  beginning,  on  the  wings  of  tradi- 
tion and  conscience,  and  their  influence 
has  been  beneficent.  But  in  all  the  pagan 
religious  books  these  primal  truths  are 
overshadowed.  In  Mohammedan  morals 
the  sensuous  predominates;  in  Brahmin 
and  Buddhist  the  ascetic;  in  Chinese  the 
naturalistic.  The  Greeks  based  their  mor- 
als on  intelligence  and  knowledge.  The 
morality  of  materalists  and  positivists  is 
at  best  only  utilitarian. 

Pagan  To  see  in  its  full  extent  the  moral  in- 

society 

immoral,  fluence  effected  by  the  Bible,  we  need  but 
recall  the  conditions  existing  in  certain 
lands  before  the  Bible  entered  them,  or  be- 
fore its  teachings  got  full  sway.  Rulers 
were  tyrannical,  cruel,  unjust,  aggressive, 
oppressive,  capricious,  and  jealous.  Tinder 
their  rule  the  wealthy,  famous  and  virtu- 
ous were  in  constant  peril.    Only  the  poor, 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WOULD.  17 

infamous  and  vicious  were  safe.  Justice 
was  without  equity.  There  was  partiality 
and  lack  of  proportion  in  administering 
punishment.  "  Wager  of  battle  "  and  tor- 
ture frequently  determined  guilt.  Might 
and  trickery  often  made  right.  Human 
life  was  not  regarded  as  of  essential  worth. 
Human  sacrifices  were  often  part  of  re- 
ligious worship.  The  weak  and  aged  were 
allowed  to  die  from  starvation  and  ex- 
posure, and  this  was  approved  even  by  Aris- 
totle, Plato,  Seneca  and  Cicero,  and  or- 
dered by  Lycurgus.  The  body  was  not 
looked  upon  as  the  "  temple  of  the  Spirit," 
but  was  given  up  to  sins  unknown  in  Chris- 
tian countries  to-day.  The  family  was  an 
empty  name.  "  Free  marriage,"  divorce 
and  concubinage  were  the  rule.  Brother- 
hood was  practically  unknown.  Slavery 
existed  everywhere.  Private  wars,  feuds 
and  duels  were  always  going  on.  Gladia- 
torial shows,  especially  in  Rome,  showed 
the  absence  of  the  conception  of  human 
unity.  There  was  no  sympathy  for  the 
poor,  sick,  imprisoned  and  unfortunate  of 
any  kind.  Dr.  Harris  in  his  "  Great  Com- 
mission," speaking  of  Christianity,  says, 
"  Her  coming  found  the  heathen  world 
without  a  house  of  mercy." 


18 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Christian 
society 
moral. 


The  Bible 

the 
source. 


The  Christian  civilization  of  to-day  has 
all  this  changed.  It  has  in  it  the  concep- 
tion of  righteous  authority;  justice;  de- 
mocracy; the  sacredness  of  life,  whether 
of  man,  woman  or  child;  a  pure  home, 
wherein  love  dwelleth;  the  principles  of 
the  Second  Mile  and  the  Golden  Kule.  It 
lives  out  these  ideas,  as  is  evidenced  by  the 
reproofs  given  to  immorality;  and  by 
the  initiation  and  inspiration  of  reforms 
in  the  conduct  of  individuals,  in  all  their 
relationships,  and  in  that  of  combinations, 
public  institutions  and  governments,  in  all 
their  transactions  and  attitudes.^ 

The  Bible  has  been  the  means  of  the 
change.  It  gives  exhaustive  moral  general- 
izations, definite  and  concrete  laws  of  ac- 
tion, the  motives  and  hidden  springs  of 
action.  There  is  more  true  morality  taught 
and  incomparably  more  good  derived  from 
even  one  of  Paul's  Epistles  than  all  the 
books  of  pagan  religions.  The  great  proph- 
ets of  Christendom,  through  whose  in- 
spirations reforms  have  come,  are  but  re- 
peaters of  Amos  and  Micah.  The  Puri- 
tan influence  has  come  to  us  from  men  and 
women  who  tried  to  live  again  the  order, 
pure  liberty,  righteousness  and  truth  laid 


*  See  Brace,  Oesta  Christi,  for  full  discussion. 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  ^9 

down  by  Moses.  The  teachers  of  society 
drink  their  insight,  force  and  breadth  from 
prophet,  apostle  and  Lord.  Buckle  con- 
fesses that  Christianity  is  a  "vast  and 
noble  institution,  by  which  the  manners  of 
men  have  been  softened,  their  sufferings 
assuaged  and  their  distresses  relieved.'' 
And  William  Lloyd  Garrison  says,  "  Take  y' 
away  the  Bible  from  us  and  our  warfare 
against  intemperance  and  impurity  and 
oppression  and  infidelity  and  crime  is  at 
an  end.  We  have  no  authority  to  speak, 
we  have  no  courage  to  act." 

IIL     Its  Educational  Influence, 

The  educational  influence  of  the  Bible  Extensive 
is  more  widely  and  thoroughly  felt  than  tensive, 
that  of  any  other  book.  There  is  no  other 
book  of  which  so  many  copies  have  been 
made,  or  are  annually  printed  and  distrib- 
uted. No  book  is  printed  in  so  many  lan- 
guages, read  so  much,  and  known  so  well.-'- 
ISTone  has  entered  so  fundamentally  into 
the  thought  and  speech  of  the  world.  Men 
have  got  their  figures  of  speech,  proverbs, 
and  household  terms  from  it. 

General  intelligence  is  more  widespread 

»  See  Dr.  E.  W.  Rice,  Our  Sixty-Six  Sacred  Books,  Chap. 
XIII. 


20  THE  MAGNETIS2I  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

among  the  people  of  the  Christian  world 
than  among  the  inhabitants  of  pagan  lands. 
Through  Israel  the  world  gained  posses- 
sion of  the  truths  concerning  God,  the  Cre- 
ation, the  World,  Providence,  Righteous- 
ness, Duty,  Judgment  and  Immortality. 
These  truths  are  so  noble,  universal,  far- 
reaching  and  sublime  that  the  imagination, 
intellect  and  heart  are  laid  hold  of,  ex- 
panded and  disciplined.  And  it  is  not  a 
tare  statement  of  the  truths  which  the 
Bible  makes.  It  at  times  adorns  them;  at 
times  enfolds  them  in  a  shell ;  at  times  sug- 
gests them.  It  is  full  of  allusions,  incom- 
plete statements  and  implications  which 
lead  one  into  the  study  of  history,  geog- 
raphy, antiquities,  law  and  theology,  if  one 
would  understand  its  contents.  There  is 
hardly  a  verse  but  what  suggests  some- 
thing beyond  itself.  The  commandments, 
the  history,  the  natural  science,  the  doc- 
trine, and  the  revelation,  for  example,  are 
such  as  to  excite  inquiry.  And  the  true 
method  of  investigation  it  has  given,  as  well 
as  the  desire  to  investigate.  It  taught  men 
to  observe  facts,  and  not  to  depend  alone 
on  abstract  principles.  "  The  road  to  true 
philosophy,"  says  Bacon,  "  is  precisely  the 
same  with  that  which  leads  to  true  religion ; 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD,  21 

and  from  both  one  and  the  other,  unless 
we  would  enter  as  little  children,  we  must 
expect  to  be  excluded.'^  The  one  idea 
found  in  the  Bible  we  may  well  believe  to 
have  suggested  the  other.  The  father  of 
the  modern  scientific  method  got  his 
method  in  the  Book.^  Because  of  the 
enlightening  character  of  the  Bible,  the 
nations  possessing  it  fully  are  inquiring 
and  educated. 

That  the  Bible  is  the  source  of  modern  Illustrated 
enlightenment  seems  to  be  verified  by  the  ^ory.  ^" 
facts.  Where  there  is  no  Book  there  is 
the  darkness  of  Africa  and  the  Isles. 
Where  commercial  relations  of  Christian 
countries  have  come  with  pagan  countries, 
those  dark  lands  have  improved.  Higher 
than  paganism  is  Islamism ;  it  has  some  of 
the  Bible.  Higher  still  is  Romanism;  it 
has  some  instruction  from  the  whole  Bible. 
Highest  of  all  is  Protestantism ;  it  has  the 
Bible  in  the  hands  of  all  the  people.  The 
civilization  of  the  countries  of  Europe  has 
kept  step  with  their  grasp  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  history  of  Spain  and  Scotland  will 
illustrate  this.  Why  is  it  that  to-day  there 
is  scarcely  a  country  so  poor  as  to  do  Spain 

»  See  Tullidpe,  Triumphs  of  the  Bible,  pp.  5^-57,  and  J,  S. 
Hart,  The  Bible  as  an  Educating  Power  Among  the  Nations, 
pp.  13-63. 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

reverence,  and  none  so  advanced  as  not  to 
honor  Scotland,  with  her  unsurpassed  list 
of  names  in  every  department  of  knowl- 
edge? It  may  be  urged  that  the  tardy 
progress  of  the  former  has  been  due  to 
false  economic  conditions,  a  bad  system  of 
land-ownership,  and  the  consequent  unpro- 
gressive  industrial  conditions  and  poverty 
of  the  people.  The  lack  of  a  strong  na- 
tional spirit,  and  the  temperament  of  the 
people  may  be  put  forth  as  additional  rea- 
sons. Having  given  due  weight  to  these 
causes,  it  does  not  seem  unlikely  that  a 
more  far-reaching  one  is  Spain's  failure  to 
enjoy  a  blessing  such  as  Scotland  received, 
when  in  1575  an  edition  of  the  Bible  was 
published  there,  placed  within  reach  of  the 
common  people,  and  never  closed  to  them. 
The  probability  of  this  is  borne  out  by 
the  similar  contrast  between  the  other 
Protestant  countries  of  Europe,  such  as 
England,  Germany  and  Holland,  and  Rom- 
ish countries  like  Portugal,  Austria  and 
Italy;  or  between  the  Protestant  countries 
of  America, — the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada, and  their  Papal  neighbors, — Mexico, 
Brazil,  Venezuela,  etc.  Any  approaching 
enlightenment  in  those  backward  countries 
may  be  traced  to  the  influence  of  the  Bible, 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  23 

as  in  Italy  it  may  be  traced  to  the  work  of 
the  Waldenses  in  spreading  the  Word.^ 

In  Japan  and  other  pagan  countries  the 
enlightenment  has  come  from  contact  with 
Christian  lands.  In  making  an  address 
on  "  The  Awakening  of  China  "  in  New 
York  on  May  5,  1908,  Wu  Ting  Fang,  one 
of  China's  ablest  and  best-known  states- 
men, said,  "  Nor  must  I  omit  to  mention 
the  services  of  the  missionary  body,  par- 
ticularly the  American  branch  of  it,  whose 
indefatigable  efforts  in  the  establishment 
of  educational  institutions,  and  in  the  dif- 
fusion of  literature  of  general  knowledge 
formed  a  part  of  the  leaven,  which  has 
leavened  the  whole  empire  of  China." 

This  is  the  influence  of  the  Bible;  and 
as  contact  with  it  grows  is  that  enlighten- 
ment being  intensified.  Truthfully  did 
Lessing  speak  when  he  said,  "  The  Scrip- 
tures for  1700  years  have  occupied  the 
mind  more  than  all  books,  have  enlightened 
it  more  than  all  other  books." 


IV.     Its  Artistic  Influence. 

The  literature  of  the  pagan  world   in-  Greek  or 
eludes  Homer ;  its  architecture,  the  Parthe- 

1  See  S.  D.  Brown,  The  Bible  the  Source  of  True  Civiliza- 
tion, pp.  8-34. 


24  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

non;  its  sculpture,  the  Zeus  of  Phidias. 
To  a  large  degree  the  art  of  the  ancients 
has  been  the  inspiration  of  the  moderns. 
But  our  obligation  to  them  may  be  empha- 
sized at  the  expense  of  the  Scriptures,  to 
which  the  civilized  world  is  more  indebted. 
The  Renaissance  was  the  rebirth  of  learn- 
ing and  art.  It  followed  the  Crusaders' 
tours  through  classic  lands.  But  it  was 
coeval  with  the  rise  of  Protestantism,  when 
the  Bible  became  a  popular  book.  It  was 
the  Christian  intellect,  awakened  by  the 
study  of  the  Scriptures,  that  produced  the 
Renaissance. 
Literature.  The  Bible  is  the  background  of  modern 
literature.  The  purity,  wisdom,  spirit, 
and  weight  which  belong  to  the  great 
writers  have  been  drawn  from  it.  It  has 
taught  writers  the  secret  of  vigor,  origin- 
ality and  influence.  It  has  given  suggest^ 
ive  examples  of  diction  and  composition. 
It  has  afforded  models  in  the  writing  of 
history,  poetry  and  story.  It  has  been  a 
fountain  for  poets  more  inspiring  than  any 
Grecian,  Roman,  !N"orse  or  Celtic  one.  It 
has  fixed  languages. 

Evidence  of  this  is  seen  in  Spenser, 
Bacon,  Addison,  Johnson,  Dickens,  Scott, 
Wordsworth,  Ruskin,  Browning  and  Ten- 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  25 

nyson.  Daniel  Webster  once  said,  ^^  If 
there  be  anything  in  my  style  or  thought  to 
be  commended,  the  credit  is  due  to  my 
kind  parents,  in  instilling  into  my  mind 
an  early  love  of  the  Scriptures."  Hall 
Caine  confesses  that  the  plots  of  his  great 
novels  have  been  suggested  by  Bible  stories. 
And  what  is  true  of  his  books  is  true  of  all 
other  great  modern  books,  in  all  Christian 
lands  and  in  every  field  of  literature. 
They  are  saturated  with  the  Book.  They 
are  its  seed,  sprung  up  in  a  variety  of  beau- 
tiful and  worthy  forms. 

What  is  true  of  literature  is  true  also  of  Architec- 
architecture,  sculpture,  painting  and  music,  scnip- 
The  Bible  created  the  cathedrals  and  t^^e,  etc 
their  statuary,  mosaics  and  paintings, 
' — the  world's  masterpieces.  Biblical 
themes  are  the  subjects  of,  and  the  spirit 
of  the  Bible  breathes  through,  the  world's 
great  oratorios.  The  great  architects  like 
Brunelleschi  and  Giotto,  and  the  guild- 
men  who  built  the  cathedrals,  worked  from 
the  motive  of  piety.  The  great  sculptors 
like  Donatello  and  Michelangelo,  and  the 
great  painters  like  Eaphael  and  Correggio, 
took  Bible  figures  for  their  models.  The 
great  music-composers  like  Bach  and 
Haydn  rose  from  their  knees  to  carry  out 


26  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

their  work.  The  triumphs  of  the  world's 
architecture  hear  the  name  of  the  Apostles. 
The  world's  best  sculpture  presents  inci- 
dents from  Genesis  and  the  Gospels.  The 
greatest  paintings  are  portraits  of  the  Ma- 
donna and  the  Child.  The  world's  music 
reaches  its  climax  in  the  "  Creation  "  and 
the  "  Messiah." 

It  is  the  Bible  that  has  originated  the 
added  features  of  loveliness  imposed  upon 
nature.  We  see  its  hand  of  beauty  where 
sterility  once  was.  Its  fruit  is  in  the  pal- 
ace with  its  adornments;  in  the  public 
garden ;  and  in  the  stately  ships.  Ruskin, 
before  whom  as  an  art  critic  the  world 
bows,  says,  "  Certainly,  by  consent  of  all, 
there  has  been  thus  far  no  art  in  the  world 
like  the  Christian  art." 

V.     Its  Influence  in  Affairs, 

Labor.  As  nations  were  Christianized  the  men 

stopped  pulling  the  plow,  and  the  women 
ceased  being  the  burden-bearers,  while  the 
horse  and  the  ox  were  put  to  work.  As 
civilization  advanced,  through  a  closer  ob- 
servation of  nature,  and  an  increasing  de- 
sire to  save  time,  and  with  a  growth  of  the 
humane  spirit,  man  and  beast  were,  to  a 
great    extent,    supplanted    by    machinery* 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  27 

With  the  coming  of  a  still  higher  state,  the 
hours  in  which  man  must  work  are  being 
shortened. 

This  relief  from  toil  is  not  a  contempt 
for  labor.  The  Book  which  has  inspired 
it,  to  the  contrary,  condemns  slothfulness 
and  dignifies  work.  Its  grandest  figure  is 
a  Carpenter,  and  his  followers  are  fisher- 
men. The  disengagement  from  drudgery 
which  it  encourages,  wherever  it  can  be 
made,  is  in  order  to  give  opportunity  for 
nobler  work,  and  for  the  intellectual  and 
moral  well-being.  Machines  cause  incon- 
venience to  millions  for  a  time,  but  in  the 
end  always  bring  them  a  blessing,  in  the 
form  of  more  life-sparing  kinds  of  work. 
The  Bible  works  to  make  a  way  to  build 
the  man.  It  is  the  spirit  behind  the  move- 
ment for  better  wages  and  for  profit-shar- 
ing. 

Commerce  has   always  followed  in  the  Commerce, 
wake  of  Christianity.     The  Crusades  gave 
an  impetus  to  traffic.    Modern  missions  are 
clearing  the  way  for  the  manufacturer. 

As  the  touch  of  the  new  life  is  felt,  the 
worth  of  self  is  apprehended.  Comfort, 
culture  and  refinement  make  new  wants. 
The  Bible  does  not  approve  of  the  luxury 
which  springs  from  depraved  appetite,  and 


28  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

which  produces  a  traffic  like  that  of  ancient 
Eome.  It  increases  the  legitimate  wants  of 
all  classes,  increasing  their  means  at  the 
same  time,  and  is  therefore  a  greater 
friend  of  commerce  than  any  ever  pos- 
sessed hj  Eome. 

The  Christian  missionary  is  the  world's 
pioneer.  The  knowledge  we  possess  of  the 
geography,  customs  and  language  of  many 
lands  we  owe  to  the  missionary.  This 
knowledge  is  one  of  the  most  important 
assets  of  the  merchant. 

The  Bible  develops  man's  love  for  the 
world  and  for  mankind.  It  makes  him 
long  to  visit  the  various  countries  of  the 
earth,  and  know  their  history.  It  impels 
him  to  keep  up  acquaintances.  It  creates  a 
desire  to  share  in  the  products  of  different 
climes.  Thus  travel,  the  press,  the  tele- 
graph and  postal  systems,  agriculture, 
manufacture,  shipping,  etc.,  are  stimulated. 

Not  only  has  commerce  been  influenced 
as  to  quantity,  but  also  as  to  character.  It 
used  to  be  the  exploiting  of  the  colony  for 
the  enrichment  of  the  empire.  Merchants 
and  nations  took  advantage  of  the  igno- 
rance and  weakness  of  non-Christian  peo- 
ples.   The  higher  principles  of  morality  de- 


MIGHTY  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  WORLD.  29 

mand  that  the  ephah  be  full  size,  and  that 
the  traffic  in  rum  and  opium  shall  cease. 

As  in  the  industrial  and  commercial  af-   ^^^  ^"^ 

govern- 
fair  s  of  men  the  Bible  has  been  such  a  pow-     ment. 

erful  influence,  so  also  in  their  political 
affairs.  Two  thousand  years  before  Magna 
Charta  it  defined  the  rights  of  the  people 
and  the  powers  of  princes.  It  definitely 
announced  at  that  early  date  the  principles 
of  the  authority  and  fatherhood  of  God, 
the  brotherhood  of  man,  the  worth  of  life ; 
all  of  which  involved  good  government, 
liberty,  equal  privilege,  constitutional  law 
for  the  protection  of  property,  freedom  and 
life.  It  gives  illustrations  of  the  practical 
operation  of  many  of  these  principles.^ 

Modern  jurisprudence  has  been  influ- 
enced much  by  Attic  and  Roman  laws ;  but 
according  to  Grotius,  the  great  authority 
on  international  law,  these  owe  their  origin 
to  the  laws  of  Moses.  George  Adam  Smith 
makes  a  similar  statement  when  he  says, 
"  The  influence  of  Mosaic  law  on  legisla- 
tion and  public  morals  which  began  with 
Constantine  and  from  his  time  to  Justin- 
ian's, according  to  authorities  like  Gib- 
bon, purged  social  life  and  modified  the  law 
of  the  empire."  ^ 

1  See  W.  Magrill,  The  Achievementa  Of  the  Bible,  pp.  8,  9. 
»  Biblical  World,  vol.  8,  p.  91. 


30  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

The  laws  of  Moses  have  also  influenced 
modern  government  directly.  The  v^riter 
just  quoted,  says  that  the  young  Christian 
nations  had  the  example  of  the  Jev^ish 
people  hefore  them  leading  them  on  in  the 
struggle  for  freedom.  "  Stealthier  than 
the  growth  of  a  forest,"  says  De  Quincey, 
"  are  the  footsteps  of  Christianity  amongst 
the  political  workings  of  man."  Black- 
stone,  in  his  Commentaries,  says,  "  The 
Bible  has  always  been  regarded  as  part  of 
the  Common  Law  of  England."  And 
President  Andrew  Jackson  on  his  death- 
bed, pointing  to  the  Bible,  said  to  his  phy- 
sician, "  That  Book,  sir^  is  the  Kock  on 
which  our  Bepublic  rests." 


CHAPTEE  II. 

AMONG  THE  SACKED  BOOKS. 

"  Tolerance  "  and  "  broad  minded-  Tolerance, 
ness "  are  words  with  which  to  conjure 
to-day.  That  man  is  considered  by  many 
brave  and  fair,  who  has  courage  to  place 
other  religions  on  a  level  with  his  own. 
The  statements  are  often  made  that  Christi- 
anity and  other  religions  are  essentially  the 
same,  the  difference  being  in  outward  form 
or  in  standpoint;  that  other  religions  are 
as  good  for  their  followers  as  Christianity 
is  for  us;  that  it  is  wrong  to  try  to  force 
our  religion  on  them,  when  their  own  are 
so  sublime  in  their  conceptions;  that,  in- 
deed, ours  is  scarcely  superior,  being 
largely  derived  from  theirs.  Our  maga- 
zines often  have  articles  which  teach  these 
ideas.  Our  clubs  frequently  have  for  star- 
speakers  Hindus,  or  others,  who  inform  us 
of  these  things. 

It   is   doubtless   a   fact  that  there   are 
many  truths  and  laws  in  all  the  great  relig- 
31 


32  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ions  whicli  are  revelations  from  God.  But 
it  is  likewise  true,  as  we  shall  endeavor  to 
show,  that  these  revelations  are  markedly 
less  perfect  than  those  of  the  Bible,  and 
that  they  are  mixed  up  with  "  so  much 
that  is  not  only  unmeaning,  artificial  and 
silly,  but  even  hideous  and  repellent."  ^ 
Religions  Because  of  the  influence  of  nation  upon 
their  nation  through  the  modern  facilities  of 
books.  travel,  an  influence  which  modifies  the  life, 
thought  and  practices  of  all  nations,  and 
especially  because  of  the  influence  of  the 
Bible  on  other  religions,  we  shall  not  be 
able  to  compare  the  religions  in  their  essen- 
tials so  well  by  examining  them,  as  we 
find  them  to-day,  as  we  shall  be  by  compar- 
ing their  sacred  books  with  the  Bible. 

Within  the  limits  of  this  chapter  we 
shall  be  compelled, — and  there  would  be 
little  practical  benefit  from  doing  other- 
wise,— to  confine  ourselves  to  the  books  of 
the  great  religions  now  extant. 

I.     Of  Hinduism, 

The  sacred  books  of  the  Hindus  are  the 
Vedas,  the  Shastras,  the  Puranas  and  the 
Tantras.      This    is   the   general    order   in 

»  F.  Max  Mtiller,  The  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  vol.  I.  p, 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  33 

which  they  were  written ;  and,  read  in  this 
order,  we  can  see  the  development  of  the 
religion. 

The  Vedas  are  the  most  ancient,  and  TheVedas. 
contain  the  purest  form,  of  the  Hindu  re- 
ligion. They  contain  an  account  of  the 
Creation,  of  the  Fall  and  Deluge.  Crop- 
ping out  frequently  is  the  idea  of  one  su- 
preme God;  but,  generally,  the  idea  is 
pantheistic,  and,  as  a  result,  the  worship 
is  a  nature  worship.  Light,  thunder,  fire, 
rain,  the  vault  of  the  heavens  and  many 
other  aspects  of  nature  are  deified.  They 
have  many  gods.  One  god  is  supreme  ac- 
cording to  one  poet;  another,  to  another. 
There  is  no  image  worship ;  but  worship  at 
its  best  is  a  kind  of  barter,  and  at  its  low- 
est descends  in  the  Atharva,  or  Brahma 
Veda,  to  imprecations,  charms,  talismans, 
and  even  a  form  of  demon  worship. 

The  Shastras  are  the  philosophical  The 
books.  They  attempt  to  solve  the  problems 
of  life  and  destiny,  but  fail.  They  have 
many  subtle  and  sublime  utterances;  but 
contain  a  great  mass  of  fanciful  and  puerile 
matter,  and  in  many  instances  descend  to 
the  prurient.  They  teach  transmigration 
of  souls,  annihilation  and  the  absorption  of 
the   individual   into   the   infinite.      Some 


anas. 


34  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ideas  are  theistic,  some  atheistic;  but  the 
general  trend  is  pantheistic,  and  inculcates 
absolute  idealism  or  the  non-existence  of 
matter. 
The  Pur-  Q^j^g  Puranas  contain  a  rearranged  Hin- 
duism.  They  have  an  entirely  new  set  of 
gods.  iNow  the  gods  are  not  the  merely 
natural  forces,  but  the  active  and  potent 
abstract  thoughts,  principles  and  emotions. 
They  have  a  Trimurti,  or  triad  of  gods, 
but  they  praise  now  one  god  and  now  an- 
other. Transmigration  and  caste,  almost 
unknown  in  the  Vedas,  are  here.  Here 
also  we  have  widow  burning  introduced. 
The  idea  of  the  incarnation  of  deity  ap- 
pears. They  tell  us  that  the  supreme  god 
Vishnu  has  appeared  on  earth  ten  times. 
At  one  time  he  came  as  a  fish,  once  as  a 
boar,  once  as  a  tortoise.  Rama  and 
Krishna,  great  soldier  heroes,  they  regard 
as  incarnations  of  Vishnu,  so  also  Gau- 
tama the  founder  of  Buddhism.  In  the 
Puranas,  Hinduism  becomes  eclectic.  It 
is  a  selection  from  many  different  sources. 
It  adapts  itself  to  every  religion  and  form 
of  worship  with  which  it  comes  into  con- 
tact, from  the  local  deities  and  nature- 
worship  of  the  hill-tribes  to  the  idea  of 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  35 

mercy  found  in  Buddhism.  The  Bhagavad- 
gita,  a  part  of  the  great  epic  Mahabharata, 
contains  the  loftiest  conceptions  of  later 
Hinduism.  Some  go  so  far  as  to  say  that 
it  has  the  essentials  of  religion.  It  may 
have  words  similar  to  our  Biblical  terms, 
but  they  have  a  different  use  and  meaning. 
It  is  fundamentally  pantheistic  and  fatal- 
istic; teaches  the  absolute  effacement  of 
self;  and  final  absorption  into  the  infinite. 
It  has  nothing  about  salvation  through 
divine  atonement;  of  co-operation  with 
God;  of  knowledge  which  touches  the 
springs  of  life ;  of  grief  and  penitence  for 
sin. 

In  the  Tantras  the  worship  of  the  fe-  The  Tan- 
male  principle  is  introduced.     They  run 
either    into    mysticism    or    licentiousness. 
Their  worship  cannot  with  decency  be  de- 
scribed. 

Taking  Hinduism  as  a  whole,  and  at  its 
best,  with  its  emphasis  on  the  spiritual 
nature  of  all  existence,  it  comes  short  when 
compared  with  the  Bible. 

1.     Its  conception  of  God  is  that  of  a  Compared 
cold,  unconscious  being  without  thought,     ^^^iq 
emotion  or  moral  attribute  of  worth.     He 
is  neither  a  Father,   a  Redeemer,  nor  a 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

Comforter.  He  is  neither  Light,  Love 
nor  the  Father  of  Spirits.  He  does  not 
atone. 

2.  Its  conception  of  the  soul  is  that  of 
a  temporary  emanation  from  God,  a  reflec- 
tion like  the  moon's  light.  It  has  no 
capacity  for  fellowship  with  its  source. 

3.  Its  conception  of  sin  is  that  of  cere- 
monial defilement,  and  nothing  deeper. 
There  is  no  deep  conception  of  expiation, 
no  idea  of  a  great  sacrifice  for  sin.  There 
is  no  remonstrance  against  sin,  no  moral 
instruction  or  effort  to  encourage  or  estab- 
lish character,  no  idea  of  sanctification. 
The  ethics  of  the  book  are  below  that  of 
the  people.  The  gods  are  immoral,  almost 
without  exception. 

4.  Its  conception  of  a  future  is  fatalis- 
tic. The  soul  goes  through  8,400,000 
transmigrations,  and  is  finally  annihilated 
or  absorbed  into  deity.  It  has  no  resur- 
rection for  the  body,  and  no  victory  over 
death. 

5.  In  its  conception  of  man  it  reaches 
its  highest  in  the  "  Code  of  Manu."  Here 
are  equitable  laws  but  there  is  no  idea  of 
brotherhood.  Caste  divides  man  from 
man.      There    is    a   low    place    given   to 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  37 

•women.     The  ignorant  and  the  children 
are  overlooked.^ 

II.     Of  Buddhism. 

Buddhism  is  powerful  in  Ceylon,  Bur- 
mah,  Siam,  Anam,  [N'orth  Western  India, 
Tibet,  E"epal,  Tartary,  and  large  parts  of 
China  and  Japan. 

We  shall  not  examine  the  later  develop- 
ments of  Buddhism,  which  reveal  the  con- 
tact of  the  religion  with  other  ideas  which 
it  absorbed.  It  shows  this  contact  with 
the  devil-worship  of  Ceylon  and  Burmah, 
the  Taouism  of  China  and  the  Shinto 
of  Japan.  The  Mahayana,  a  Buddhistic 
treatise  written  in  Sanscrit,  contains  many 
additions  to  the  Buddhism  of  Buddha  de- 
rived from  without,  for  example,  personal 
continuity  after  death,  something  akin  to 
divine  grace,  the  presence  of  the  spirit  of 
the  Buddhas  with,  men,  "the  infinite 
mercy,"  a  supreme  Buddha.  We  shall  ex- 
amine the  original  Bible  of  Buddhism,  the 
Tripitaka,  written  in  Ceylon  in  88  B.  C, 
and  containing  the  most  primitive  form  of 
the  religion. 

*  This  discussion  of  Hinduism  is  based  chiefly  on  J.  M. 
Mitcheirs  The  Hindu  Religion,  and  F.  F.  EUinwood's. 
Oriental  Religions  and  Christianity. 


33  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Gospel  nar-       Qur   task   beinff   a   comparison   of  the 

ratives  . 

not  from  sacred  books  of  Christianity  and  Bud- 
dMsm.  dhism,  we  shall  not  go  into  a  detailed  com- 
parison of  the  narratives  concerning  Jesus, 
and  the  legends  of  a  similar  nature,  which 
sprung  up  at  a  comparatively  late  date, 
concerning  Gautama,  the  founder  of  Bud- 
dhism. These  legends  affirm  that  his  birth 
was  heralded  by  angels,  and  was  super- 
natural; that  an  aged  sage  blessed  him; 
that  he  was  taken  to  the  temple  for  conse- 
cration; that  a  jealous  ruler  sought  to  de- 
stroy him;  that  in  boyhood  he  astonished 
the  doctors ;  that  he  was  baptized,  tempted, 
transfigured  and  received  up  into  heaven. 
All  that  need  be  said  here  is  that  the  nar- 
ratives in  the  Gospels  were  not  copied  from 
Buddhism.  Christianity  repelled  Neo- 
platonism.  Gnosticism  and  Manichseism 
in  the  early  centuries.  Why  should  it  have 
gone  out  of  its  way  to  borrow  Buddhism? 
The  attitude  of  the  Jews  towards  all 
heathenism  makes  copying  improbable. 
Moreover,  if  these  narratives  had  been 
copied,  the  clever  Celsus  and  Porphyry 
would  have  exposed  the  fact  when  they  as- 
sailed Christianity.  Kuenen  says  that 
there  are  no  coincidences  between  these 
legends   and  the  stories  of  Jesus.     And 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  39 

Rhys  Davids  affirms,  "  I  can  find  no  evi- 
dence of  any  actual  or  direct  communica- 
tion of  these  ideas  common  to  Buddhism 
and  Christianity  from  the  East  to  the 
West."  If  there  v^as  any  copying  done, 
it  was  done  by  the  East. 

Buddhism  arose  in  India  in  the  seventh  A  protest 
century  before  Christ,  as  a  protest  of  the     BraSnin- 
strong  personality  of  Gautama  against  the     isni. 
Hindu  Brahmans  (priests),  v^ith  all  their 
priestcraft,    sacrifices    and    caste-enforce- 
ment.    "  My  lav7  is  a  law  of  mercy  for 
all,"   he   said.      He   taught   that   religion 
consists  not  in  rites,  but  in  duty ;  and  that 
duty  is  kindness  to  all  creatures  and  things. 
But  Gautama  did  not  stop  here ;  he  evolved 
a  philosophy  of  life  and  destiny. 

1.     His  teachings  may  be  summarized 
as  follows: 

(1)  Four  Great  Truths,  (a)  There  "Ponr 
is  suffering  everywhere.  (&)  The  origin  Traths." 
of  suffering  is  lust.  Lust  is  connected 
with  consciousness.  Consciousness  is  from 
Karma.  Karma  is  the  moral  retribution 
of  the  entire  action  of  a  man's  past, 
(c)  The  extinction  of  suffering  is  by  anni- 
hilation of  lust,  {d)  The  path  to  the  ex- 
tinction of  suffering  is  through  right  views, 


40  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

desires,  speech,  conduct,  livelihood,  effort, 
mindfulness  and  rapture. 

"stTes "  ^^^  ^^^^  ^iSigQ^  in  the  Path  of  Salva- 
tion, (a)  Conversion,  which  he  looks  upon 
as  the  getting  rid  of  the  illusion  of  self,  or 
of  the  "  delusion  of  the  permanency  and 
the  importance  of  one's  own  individu- 
ality." (6)  Destruction  of  the  doubt  that 
all  is  lost,  when  the  delusion  of  the  per- 
manence and  importance  of  self  are  got  rid 
of.  (c)  Struggle  against  lust,  ill-will 
towards  men,  animals  and  gods,  and  dul- 
ness  in  receiving  impressions  from  higher 
things ;  and  a  breaking  of  the  bonds  of  de- 
sire for  the  future  life,  of  pride  and  self- 
righteousness,  and  of  ignorance  of  the 
"  Four  Great  Truths."  {d)  Nirvana,  the 
peace  of  self-effacepaent. 

2.  In  a  comparison  of  this  religious 
system  with  the  Bible  its  many  demerits 
appear. 

EtMcs.  (1)     Its  ethical  teaching  is  the  strong 

feature  of  Buddhism.  It  is  a  moral  re- 
ligion, yet  it  has  made  no  special  contribu- 
tion to  the  moral  principles  of  the  world. 
Its  principles  are  the  common  heritage  of 
mankind.  It  is  humanitarian,  yet  it  is 
individualistic  to  the  point  of  selfishness. 
Supreme  thought  and  effort  must  be  on 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  4,1 

one's  own  life,  it  says.  There  is  no  hint 
of  the  principle  of  love  to  others.  The 
moral  law  which  was  broken  it  regards  as 
an  impersonal  law.  It  is  a  religion  for 
the  cultured  alone. 

(2)  In  its  spiritual  teachings,  so  far  as  Spiritual 
it  has  any,  it  is  a  religion  of  works  and     ings." 
self-effort.     There  is  no  help  from  above, 

or  heavenly  incentive.  There  is  no  Sa- 
viour; Gautama  saved  only  himself.  The 
sense  of  evil  is  present,  but  without  the 
conception  of  pardon,  atonement  and  recon- 
ciliation. There  is  no  Comforter.  Its 
highest  aim  for  self  is  to  renounce  the 
highest  possibility  into  which  man  is 
capable  of  developing,  and  to  descend  into 
the  passionless  calm  of  vegetative  exist- 
ence. This  is  not  the  self-surrender  of  the 
Christian,  in  which  self -hood  is  at  its  best ; 
it  is  rather  the  extinction  of  self.  The 
peace  of  Nirvana  is  not  the  Christian 
peace. 

(3)  It  has  a  gloomy  view  of  the  world  its  world, 
and  of  human  life.     It  believes  the  world 

had  no  Creator.  "  A  vast  cycle  of  events, 
and  not  a  will  or  cause,  have  produced  the 
universe."  The  world  is  a  world  of  sor- 
row. Misery  is  the  estate  of  every  indi- 
vidual, and  there  is  no  escape,  life  itself 


42 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Its  fiitare. 


No  God. 


being  a  punishment  by  Fate  for  man's 
past  state.  The  body,  it  thinks,  should  be 
despised  and  forsaken  utterly,  because  it 
is  a  misfortune  to  have  one. 

(4)  Gautama's  system  implies  a  fu- 
ture of  some  length,  but  he  himself  was 
reticent,  and  indeed  agnostic  on  the  subject. 
The  future  was  in  the  hand  of  a  cold  and 
merciless  Fate.  Immortal  life  would  be 
looked  upon  as  a  disaster.  There  is  in  his 
teachings  no  hope  for  the  "  house  not  made 
with  hands,"  and  the  "  general  assembly 
of  the  first-born." 

(5)  Gautama  condemns  the  idea  of  a 
personal  God  as  the  first  cause  and  im- 
manent reality  of  all  things.  He  has  no 
God,  no  Lawgiver,  no  Father,  no  one  who 
forgives,  and  no  one  to  meet  us  in  the  dark 
valley. 

The  whole  religion  is  a  bitter  cry  and  a 
yearning.  It  is  a  groping  in  the  dark; 
but  nothing  which  has  arrived  at,  or  which 
can  produce,  confidence.-'- 


The  Zend- 
Avesta. 


III.     Of  Parseeism, 

The  sacred  book  of  the  Parsees  is  the 
Zend-Avesta,  composed  for  the  most  part 

'  This  discussion  of  Buddhism  is  based  chiefly  on 
Reynold's  Buddhism,  Rhys  David's  Buddhism  and  Chris- 
tianity and  Ellinwood's  Oriental  Religions  and  Christianity, 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  43 

betwe-en  the  fou?ili  and  seventh  centuries 
before  Christ.  The  crowning  merit  of  this 
book  is  its  eternal  distinction  between  right 
and  wrong.  It  has  a  supreme  deity,  Ahura 
Mazda.  It  has  also  an  eternal  evil  spirit, 
Ahriman.  These  two  are  forever  at  war. 
Ahura  Mazda  has  on  his  side  a  celestial 
group  and  also  inferior  heavenly  beings, — 
genii  who  preside  over  fire,  water,  light, 
air,  etc.  Ahriman  has  about  him  a 
"  grisly  council  of  hell."  The  whole  cre- 
ation is  arbitrarily  divided  between  the 
two  camps.  The  stars  are  on  Ahura 
Mazda's  side.  The  planets  are  under 
Ahriman's  banner.  Even  the  animals  take 
sides.  The  belief  is  that  evil  will  be  over- 
thrown; and  that  for  the  good  there  is  a 
heaven  awaiting,  and  for  the  wicked  a  hell. 

The  merits  of  this  religion  are  many,  but 
it  has  connected  with  it  disfiguring  faults. 
The  Bible  has  all  its  merits  with  none  of 
its  demerits. 

1.  Its  god  hates  evil,  and  possesses  no  Theism, 
immoral  attributes.  But  he  is  a  weak  god. 
He  is  not  the  Creator  of  all  things.  Infe- 
rior divinities  assist  him,  and  he  prays  to 
them.  There  is  no  peculiar  homage  paid 
to  him.  He  is  honored  only  as  every  good 
object  in  the  creation  is  honored.    There  is 


44  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

a,  mixture  of  monotheism,  dualism  and 
polytheism.  It  is  defective  in  its  repre- 
sentation of  certain  attributes  of  God,  such 
as  fatherhood,  love  and  communion.  In- 
tellectual shallov^^ness  marks  its  treatment 
of  great  problems,  if  it  notices  them  at  all. 

Worship.  2.     There  is  no  immorality  nor  cruelty 

attached  to  its  worship.  But  it  is  defect- 
ive. It  is  excessive  in  that  the  whole  of 
the  good  creation,  both  the  objects  and  the 
genii  who  preside  over  them,  are  wor- 
shipped. It  is  ritualistic  to  the  extreme. 
Each  day  has  ^Ye  prayer-periods,  with  dif- 
ferent prayers  for  each  period.  Each  day 
is  sacred  to  some  divinity.  Besides,  there 
are  many  festal  days, — new  year,  equinox, 
new  moon,  full  moon,  etc.  It  is  formal. 
Prayers  are  little  more  than  magical  for- 
mulae or  incantations,  the  sounds  and  not 
the  sense  being  all  important.  It  is  indi- 
vidualistic. There  is  no  common  worship. 
'No  "  Our  Father  "  is  said.  It  is  low  in 
that  offerings  are  presented  to  divinities 
because  they  need  food,  and  are  strength- 
ened by  praise.  It  is  also  low  in  that  many 
of  its  rites  are  either  childish  or  disgusting. 

Ethics.  3.     The    Zend-Avesta    divides    human 

duty      into      three      great      parts — ^good 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  45 

thoughts,  good  words  and  good  deeds.  It 
inculcates  truthfulness,  kindness  and  char- 
ity ;  assigns  a  position  of  respect  to  women ; 
allows  no  asceticism ;  and  encourages  work. 
Activity  against  evil  is  urged.  Robbery, 
assault,  sexual  impurity  and  murder  are 
denounced.  But  it  teaches  nothing  about 
self-sacrifice  and  self-denial.  There  is 
laxity  in  its  pronouncement  on  marriage, 
encouraging  the  union  of  those  near  of  kin. 
It  has  no  great  example  of  holiness. 

4.  It  is  defective  in  its  conception  of  Sin. 
sin  because  it  confounds  moral  and  cere- 
monial impurity.  It  has  no  idea  of  in- 
iquity,  hence  no  idea  of  self-reproach,  peni- 
tence, atonement,  expiation,  purification 
and  rapture  of  pardon.  Ceremonial  cleans- 
ing is  the  only  kind  it  knows.  There  is 
unexpected  estimates  of  the  heinousness  of 
sins.  For  example,  murder  is  less  heinous 
than  carrying  a  dead  body.  Punishments 
are  disproportionate  to  offences.  Man- 
slaughter is  punished  with  ninety  stripes; 
giving  bad  food  to  a  dog  with  two  hundred. 
Some  extraordinary  sins  it  considers  un- 
pardonable.^ 

>  This  discussion  of  Parseeism  is  based  chiefly  on  Mitchell's 
The  Zend'Avesta. 


46  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

IV.     Of  Confucianism, 

Sacred  The  teachings  of  Confucius  may  be  gath- 

ered from  The  Analects,  Great  Learning 
and  The  Doctrine  of  the  Mean.  These 
teachings  were  gathered  up  and  published 
as  a  sacred  edict  by  the  second  emperor  of 
the  present  dynasty  in  1670.  In  1724  an 
amplification  of  this  edict  was  published. 
Still  later  an  exposition  of  the  amplifica- 
tion was  issued. 

More  than       Qn    the    surface,    Confucianism 


a  moral 


is 


system,  merely  moral  system;  but  examined  more 
closely,  it  has  the  marks  of  a  religion.  It 
emphasizes  what  it  regards  as  the  five  regu- 
lar constituents  of  our  moral  nature,  viz., 
the  principles,  attributes  and  faculties  of 
benevolence,  righteousness,  propriety,  wis- 
dom and  sincerity.  The  Chinese  Primer 
speaks  of  these  in  this  manner,  "  Affection 
between  father  and  son;  concord  between 
husband  and  wife ;  kindness  on  the  part  of 
the  elder  brother  and  deference  on  the  part 
of  the  younger;  order  between  seniors  and 
juniors;  sincerity  between  friends  and  as- 
sociates.'' These  duties  and  relations  are 
regarded  by  Confucius  as  the  appointment 
of  "  Heaven,"  and  hence  their  fulfilment 
is  a  religious  act.  It  is  in  this  indirect 
way  that  the  element  of  worship  appears. 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  47 

Confucius  shrank  from  discussing  ques- 
tions about  the  existence  and  operations  of 
God  in  a  direct  way.  The  only  direct  wor- 
ship permitted  was  that  of  the  sovereign, 
who,  at  the  most,  on  two  or  three  occasions 
each  year  worshipped  the  Supreme  as  the 
representative  of  the  people.  There  is  no 
incitement  to  love  God. 

Under  two  heads  the  books  of  Confucian- 
ism can  fairly  be  contrasted  with  the  Bible. 

1.  There  is  much  to  admire  in  their  Morality, 
practical   teachings.      Confucius   is   to   be 
praised    for    his   promotion    of   morality. 
There  is  beauty  in  the  devotion  of  chil- 
dren to  parents  which  he  inculcates;  but 

the  Bible  in  addition,  teaches  the  duty  of 
parents  to  children.  Confucius  states  the 
Golden  Eule,  but  negatively;  and  the  mo- 
tive which  he  advances  is  that  of  justice 
and  not  of  love.  The  Bible's  ultimate  mo- 
tive for  conduct  is  the  glory  of  God.  The 
Bible  gives  a  high  place  to  women;  Con- 
fucius permits  concubinage.  Confucius 
gives  no  example  of  holiness.  He  himself 
confesses  many  breaches  of  the  moral  law. 
He  has  an  ideal  for  man,  but  offers  no 
power  by  which  to  attain  it. 

2.  Their  religion  is  defective  in  that  it  Eeligion. 
does  not  permit  of  direct  access  to  God. 


48  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

It  does  not  teach  the  nearness  of  God,  nor 
the  fact  of  divine  help.  There  is  no  glow 
of  piety  and  devotion  in  it.  Keverence 
for  the  past  is  its  central  element.  The 
ideal  of  character  aimed  at  is  short  of  per- 
fection. These  books  are  without  a  pro- 
found sense  of  sin.  They  have  no  world 
vision  of  regeneration.  They  have  no  God 
suffering  for,  redeeming  the  world,  tri- 
umphing over  sin  and  death,  and  reigning 
forever. -"^ 

:V.     Of  Mohammedanism, 

Tie  There    are    many    excellencies    in    the 

Koran.  It  teaches  the  existence  of  one  God 
and  is  opposed  to  idolatry.  It  believes  in 
the  control  of  all  things  by  Providence. 
Prayer  is  enjoined,  temperance  urged, 
tithing  encouraged,  and  intoxication  and 
chance  forbidden.  It  professes  to  acknowl- 
edge previous  revelations  in  Judaism  and 
Christianity.  It  is  grounded  for  the  most 
part  on  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  and 
has  borrowed  from  them,  all  that  is  best 
in  it. 

The  radical  evils  of  the  Koran's  teach- 


1  This  discussion  of  Confucianism    is  based    chiefly  on 
Legge's  Christianity  and  Confucianism  Compared. 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS,  49 

ings  are  many,  but  they  may  be  summed  up 
as  follows: 

1.  The  divorce  of  wives  at  pleasure  is  Relation  of 

.•        J         Ti  1  1  -1.  the  sexes, 

sanctioned.      I'olygamy    and    concubmage 

are  permitted,  four  wives  at  a  time  and 
any  number  of  slave  girls  being  allowed. 
Woman  is  depressed  to  an  inferior  posi- 
tion in  all  her  social  relations,  and  de- 
prived of  most  of  her  rights. 

2.  Prayer  must  be  offered  at  five  stated  WorsMp. 
times  a  day  with  the  accompanying  cere- 
mony of  washing.  Certain  forms  and  pas- 
sages are  to  be  repeated  with  prescribed 
prostrations  and  knee-bendings.  This  is 
obligatory  in  whatever  state  of  mind  the 
so-called  worshipper  may  be.     The  whole 

is  formal.  Worship  consists  also  in  fast- 
ing. There  is  a  month  of  severe  fasting 
each  year.  Another  obligation  resting  on 
the  faithful,  is  the  yearly  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca  and  Mount  Arafat ;  and  this  he  is 
asked  to  make,  it  matters  not  in  what  part 
of  the  earth  he  may  reside.  This  worship 
in  all  its  parts  is  to  be  pushed  with  the 
sword. 

3.  Freedom   of   thought    and   private   Personal 
judgment  are  denied.     The  Koran  has  no     "^&^°^- 
conception  of  the  fatherhood  of  God,  grace, 
salvation  from  above  and  by  atonement, 


50  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

nor  adoption.  Its  god  is  a  god  of  fate. 
He  is  the  author  of  evil.  All  things  are 
absolutely  determined  and  there  is  no  es- 
cape. It  holds  out  the  hope  of  a  heaven 
for  those  whom  Fate  decrees  shall  inherit 
it ;  but  it  is  a  demoralizing  heaven.  It  in- 
spires the  spirit  of  martyrdom  by  giving 
a  vision  of  a  "  heaven  opened  and  black- 
eyed  maidens  all  bridally  attired  clasping 
thee  in  their  fond  embrace."  It  nowhere 
teaches  self-denial.  It  has  rules  instead  of 
principles.^ 

"  The  religion  of  Christ  contains  whole 
fields  of  morality  and  whole  realms  of 
thought  which  are  but  outside  the  religion 
of  Mohammed.  It  opens  humility,  purity 
of  heart,  forgiveness  of  injuries,  sacrifice 
of  self,  to  man's  moral  nature;  it  gives 
scope  for  toleration,  development,  bound- 
less progress  to  his  mind ;  its  motive  power 
is  stronger  even  as  a  friend  is  better  than  a 
king,  and  love  higher  than  obedience."  ^ 

VI.     Summary. 

The  sym-         From  this  brief  survey  of  the  sreat  re- 

pathetic        .    .  . 

view.        ligions,  one  may  be  led  to  question,  using 

*  This  discussion  of  Mohammedanism  is  based  chiefly  on 
Muir's  The  Rise  and  Decline  of  Islam  and  Islam  and  Chris- 
tianity,&nd  Ellinwood's  Oriental  Religions  and  Christianity. 

2  R.  Bosworth  Smith  in  an  address  before  the  Fellows  of 
Zion  College,  Feb.  21,  1888,  quoted  by  Ellinwood,  Oriental 
Religions  and  Christianity,  p.  218. 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  51 

the  words  of  Max  Miiller,  "  whether  there 
is  or  whether  there  is  not,  hidden  in  every 
one  of  the  sacred  books,  something  that 
could  lift  up  the  human  heart  from  this 
earth  to  a  higher  world,  something  that 
could  make  man  feel  the  omnipresence  of 
a  higher  power,  something  that  could  make 
him  shrink  from  evil  and  incline  to  good, 
something  to  sustain  him  in  the  short  jour- 
ney through  life  with  its  bright  moments 
of  happiness,  and  its  long  hours  of  terrible 
distress.'^  ^  And  if  one  find  this  "  some- 
thing "  it  must  not  blind  him  to  the  truth. 
Quoting  the  same  author  again,  "  What  we 
want  here,  as  everywhere  else,  is  the  truth, 
and  the  whole  truth ;  and  if  the  whole  truth 
must  be  told,  it  is,  that  however  radiant 
the  dawn  of  religious  thought,  it  is  not 
without  its  dark  clouds,  its  chilling  colds, 
its  noxious  vapors."  ^ 

The  religion  of  the  Bible  is  superior,  in  Snmmary. 
that  it  contains  all  the  truths  in  those  re- 
ligions put  all  together,  with  none  of  their 
error.  In  addition  it  has  that  which  they 
all  missed.  It  believes  in  the  immanence 
of  God  with  the  Hindu ;  in  the  supremacy 
of  peace  with  the  Buddhist ;  in  the  eternal 

*The    Sacred  Books    of  the    East,  vol.  I.    pp.  xxxvii, 
xxxviii. 
» Ibid.  p.  xi. 


62  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

distinction  between  right  and  wrong  with, 
the  Parsee;  in  the  virtue  of  reverence  for 
the  past  with  the  Chinese ;  and  in  the  One 
Supreme  God  with  the  Mohammedan. 

The  Bible  is  free  from  the  cold  immoral 
view  of  the  supreme  god  of  the  Hindu; 
the  atheism  of  the  Buddhist;  the  weak 
deity  and  the  dualism  of  the  Parsee;  the 
unapproachable  "  Heaven  "  of  Confucius ; 
the  fatalistic  god  of  Mohammed.  It  has 
nothing  of  the  plurality  of  gods  of  nearly 
all  the  other  religions.  Its  God  is  a  per- 
sonal spirit,  "  infinite,  eternal,  unchange- 
able, in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness, 
justice,  goodness  and  truth."  He  is 
Father.  It  has  nothing  of  the  idea  of 
transmigration,  found  in  Hinduism  and 
Buddhism,  or  the  idea  of  a  controlling 
Fate  common  to  Hinduism,  Buddhism  and 
Mohammedanism. 

The  universe  of  which  the  Scriptures 
speak  is  under  personal  control.  The 
future  is  immediate  and  conscious  weal  or 
woe.  There  is  a  conception  of  sin  as 
inner  defilement,  which  Hindu,  Buddhist, 
Parsee,  Chinese  and  Mohammedan  have 
not.  Here  are  the  ideas  of  grace,  divine 
atonement,  merciful  help,  expiation,  self- 
surrender  which  is  the  highest  selfhood, 


AMONG  THE  SACRED  BOOKS.  63 

peace  which  is  supreme  self-consciousness, 
and  perfection,  which  none  of  them  has. 
The  hope  of  a  resurrection  and  a  future  of 
blessedness  such  as  none  of  them  has  are 
here.    The  Bible  has  Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTER  III. 

DIVERSIFIED   UNITY. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  once  said, 
"  Life  loves  variety ;  God  loves  variety ; 
and  men  do,  when  they  are  alive."  The 
Bible  has  infinite  charm  because  of  its 
variety.  It  is  without  monotony.  Like 
nature,  it  "  speaks  a  various  language." 

I.     It  is  a  Library, 

The  Bible  is  not  a  book  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  word,  but  a  library.  Only 
since  the  thirteenth  century  has  the  name 
"  Bible  "  in  the  singular  form  been  applied 
to  it.  Its  character  as  a  library  was  recog- 
nized by  the  early  fathers  and  the  theolog- 
ians of  the  middle  ages.  They  refer  to  it 
as  the  "  Books."^  It  is  composed  of  sixty- 
six  separate  books,  thirty-nine  in  the  Old 
Testament  and  twenty-seven  in  the  ^New. 
The  cream       ^    certain    interest    will    be    awakened 

°f  ^,"t"^    when  one  considers  that  these  books  do  not 
tion  s  lit- 
erature,    constitute  the  entire  literature  of  the  Jews 

»  See  Westcott,  TTie  Bible  in  the  Church,  p.  5,  Rice,  Our 
Sixty-Six  Sacred  Books,  pp.  8,  9. 

64 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  55 

and  of  the  Apostolic  Church.  This  is  the 
cream  of  their  literature.  There  are  at 
least  sixteen  books  quoted  in  the  Old 
Testament,  which  are  now  lost.  The  titles 
of  some  of  these  are  "  The  Book  of  Ja- 
shar,"  "The  Wars  of  Jehovah/'  "The 
Book  of  the  Words  of  Solomon,"  "The 
Words  of  :N'athan,''  "  The  Words  of  Je- 
hu," "The  Words  of  Gad,"  "The  Vi- 
sions of  Jedo,"  and  "  The  Prophecy  of 
Ahijah."  There  are,  besides  these,  many 
apocryphal  books,  for  which  claims  have 
been  made  for  a  place  with  the  books  held 
sacred.  It  is  also  supposed  that  Solomon 
was  the  author  of  over  a  thousand  songs, 
although  but  one  or  two  are  preserved. 

The  New  Testament,  too,  is  but  a  por- 
tion of  a  quite  extensive  literature  of  the 
age  of  the  apostles.  It  is  known  that  there 
existed  such  writings  as  "  The  Gospel  of 
Peter,"  "The  Gospel  to  the  Hebrews," 
"The  Gospel  to  the  Egyptians,"  "The 
Preaching  of  Peter,"  "The  Epistle  of 
Barnabas,"  "  The  Teaching  of  the  Apos- 
tles," "The  ^Shepherd'  of  Hermas," 
"  The  Eirst  and  Second  Epistles  of  Clem- 
ent," and  "  The  Apocalypse  of  Peter." 

The  books  to  be  held  sacred  were  long  Deiiber- 

ately  ac- 

a  subject  of  discussion  and  deliberation,     cepted. 


56  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

The  rights  of  such  books  as  Esther,  Ruth, 
Proverbs,  Song  of  Solomon,  Eeclesias- 
tes  and  Ezekiel  were  questioned,  although 
thej  had  a  place  with  the  others  from  an 
early  date.  In  Ecclesiasticus,  which  was 
probably  written  soon  after  300  B.  C,  the 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  are  spoken  of 
as  a  well  known  aggregate.  And  that  ag- 
gregate is  the  one  we  have  to-day.^  Cer- 
tain books  in  the  ISTew  Testament  were 
likewise  questioned  for  a  time.  These 
were  Hebrews,  James,  II.  Peter,  II.  and 
III.  John,  Jude  and  Revelation.  Yet 
the  Old  Testament,  from  the  third  cen- 
tury B.  C.  at  the  latest,  and  the  ISTew  Test- 
ament, almost  from  the  time  of  the  apos- 
tles, have  been  regarded  as  a  library  of 
specially  sacred  books.^  And  they  are  so 
regarded  because  of  the  respective  dic- 
tation of  both  Jewish  and  Christian  reason, 
conscience  and  common  consciousness,  guid- 
ed by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
In  three  This  library   of  books  was  written  in 

three  languages.  Hebrew  is  the  language 
of  the  greater  portion  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. Parts  of  Ezra  (4 :  8-6 :  18 ;  7 :  12- 
26,)   and  Daniel  (2:4-7:28)  were  writ- 

^  See  W.  J.  Beech  er,  Old  Testament  Notes  1909,  p.  89. 

» See  Basting's  Dictionary  of  the  Bible, "  New  Testament.'* 


Ian- 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  57 

ten  in  Aramaic.  Chronicles,  Nehemiab, 
Esther,  Ecclesiastes,  and  Jonah  have  an 
Aramaic  coloring.  The  New  Testament 
was  written  in  Greek. 

Some  of  the  books  composing  this  library  Sub- 
were  themselves  made  np  of  separate  books. 
Thus,  for  instance,  the  Book  of  Psalms 
has  in  it  five  collections  of  sacred  poems, 
some  as  early  or  earlier  than  David,  some 
as  late  or  later  than  the  Exile;  and  the 
Book  of  Proverbs  consists  of  five  col- 
lections. 

II.     It  is  Comprehensive, 

The  sixty-six  books  have  a  variety  in 
their  form  and  subject  matter. 

1.     Form. 

(1)  Eully  two  thirds  is  made  up  of  History. 
narrative,  and  this  narrative  is  full  of  va- 
riety. It  is  composed  of  the  history  of  cre- 
ation, early  man,  and  the  deluge ;  the  rise, 
progress,  difficulties  and  decline  of  the 
Jewish  nation;  the  contemporary  history 
of  the  empire  established,  enlarged  and 
overthrown;  the  mutual  relations  of  these 
empires  and  Israel;  the  public  affairs, 
plots,  wars  and  disasters  in  the  countries 
from  Assyria  to  Egypt ;  and  the  history  of 
the    founding    of    the    Christian    church. 


58  "     THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  its  progress  in  the  first  fifty  years. 
Wonderful  history  it  all  is,  and  history  of 
inestimable  value.  It  is  wonderful  both 
because  of  the  events  themselves  v^hich  it 
narrates,  and  because  of  its  selection  of 
these  events.  An  apparently  trivial  in- 
cident from  an  ordinary  course  of  events 
is  described  at  length,  while  a  hundred 
generations  are  passed  by  in  silence.  It 
is  valuable,  not  only  because  of  the  worth 
of  the  history  itself ;  but  because  it  is  based 
on  tradition  common  to  all  men  at  the  dawn 
of  history,  and  preserves  records  of  events 
transcribed  in  documents  long  since  lost. 
The  whole  is  very  interesting. 
Biography.  It  is  a  book  of  remarkable  biography. 
'Eo  other  personages  that  ever  lived  are  so 
well  known  to  the  world  as  the  men  and 
women  of  the  Bible.  There  exist  nowhere 
such  graphic  delineations  of  character  and 
such  faithful  portraiture  of  all  classes  of 
men.  These  personages  are  clothed  with 
flesh  and  blood.  The  world  is  familiar 
with  the  great  Chaldean  nobleman  Abra- 
ham, the  mighty  Egyptian  general  Moses, 
the  faitliful  Samuel,  the  loving  Kuth,  the 
religious  David,  the  practical  Solomon, 
the  daring  Elijah,  Daniel  the  Exile,  John 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  59 

the  Patmos  seer,  Paul  the  missionary  and 
the  Man  of  Galilee. 

(2)  Here  is  law  too.     The  most  basal  law. 
treatment  of  man's  duty  to  man,  to  him- 
self, and  to  God  is  here  commending  itself 

to  and  commanding  conscience.  Moses  in 
the  laws  he  gave  to  Israel,  whether  he  gave 
them  new  or  merely  restated  ancient  laws, 
laid  down  precepts  which  are  fundamental 
concerning  the  whole  round  of  duties,  indi- 
vidual and  social.  The  prophets  empha- 
size these  laws.  Jesus  gives  the  spiritual 
basis  of  duty.  The  apostles  make  practical 
application  of  their  Master's  principles. 

(3)  There    are   books    of   poetry    and  Poetry, 
proverbs    in    the    library.      Job,    Psalms,     anTpar- 
Proverbs,   Solomon's  Song  and  Lamenta-     abies. 
tions  are  poetical.      Poetry,   proverb  and 
parable  are  scattered  through  many  of  the 

books.  The  Creation  and  Flood  stories, 
the  song  of  Lamech,  the  blessing  of  Jacob, 
the  blessing  of  Moses,  the  oracles  of  Ba- 
laam, the  song  at  the  crossing  of  the  Red 
Sea,  the  song  of  Deborah,  David's  lament 
for  Saul  and  Jonathan,  and  Solomon's 
words  in  dedicating  the  Temple  are  sam- 
ples of  the  Old  Testament  poetry  scattered 
throughout  the  non-poetical  books.  Many 
passages  in  the  prophetical  books  are  in  the 


60 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Argument 
and 
oratory. 


Threefold 
general 
division. 


form  of  poetry.  In  the  New  Testament, 
the  "  Magnificat "  of  Mary,  the  "  Bene- 
dietus "  of  Zacharias  and  the  "  Nunc 
Dimittis  "  of  Simeon  in  Luke  are  poetical. 
Proverbs  and  parables  are  in  abundance 
everywhere,  the  latter  reaching  their  full 
effectiveness  in  the  discourses  of  our  Lord. 
No  collection  of  books  has  such  stately 
poetry,  uttering  the  emotions  of  the  uni- 
versal heart;  such  crisp  condensations  of 
truth,  expressing  the  wisdom  of  God,  and 
man's  experiences;  and  such  beatific  im- 
agery, exhausting  life  and  nature  for  anal- 
ogies. 

(4)  Some  of  these  books  are  in  the 
form  of  argument  and  oratory.  There  are 
argumentative  books  like  the  Epistles  to 
the  Romans,  Galatians  and  Hebrews;  ora- 
torical books  like  Isaiah,  Amos  and  Joel. 
[Argument  and  oratory  are  scattered 
through  many  of  the  books.  "  Come,  let 
us  reason  together,"  is  a  principle  on  which 
many  of  the  books  are  written.  Paul  on 
Mars'  Hill  is  one  of  many  familiar  figures. 
The  unanswerable  argument,  the  impas- 
sioned denunciation  and  the  wise  admon- 
ition of  the  Scriptures  are  without  parallel. 

2.     Subject  Matter. 

The  Old  Testament  Scriptures  from  early 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  61 

days  were  spoken  of  as  "  the  Law,  the 
Prophets  and  the  Writings/'  In  the  New 
Testament  there  is  a  corresponding  three- 
fold classification  into  Historical,  Doctri- 
nal and  Practical,  and  Prophetical. 

In  a  general  way  we  may  say  the  sub- 
ject matter  is  confined  to  human  character, 
moral  instruction  and  spiritual  truth.  But 
in  the  treatment  of  these  there  is  diversity. 

All  imaginable  types  of  men  are  pic-  ll^«nan 
tured.  All  secret  motives,  hidden  tenden-  varied, 
cies,  undiscerned  influences,  low  passions, 
lofty  ambitions,  all  steps  of  degradation 
and  all  flights  of  attainment  are  brought  to 
light  Achan  the  embezzler,  Balaam  the 
prostitutor  of  talent,  Samson  the  weak 
giant,  Haman  the  malice  bearer,  Jonathan 
the  friend,  !N"ehemiah  the  conservator, 
Peter  the  denier  and  Judas  the  betrayer 
are  samples  of  this  character-analyzing 
power.  The  consummation  of  character- 
drawing  which  it  gives  is  the  sublime  por- 
trait of  the  Incarnate  Christ, — God  in  the 
flesh,  the  sympathizing  Friend,  the  Great 
Physician,  the  Teacher,  the  crucified  King, 
the  perfect  Sacrifice,  the  mighty  Victor 
over  death,  the  Lord  of  life,  and  blessed 
forever. 

There  is  an  ever-advancing  morality  in 


62 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBL.K 


Moral 
teaching 
pro- 


Spiritual 
truth 
ad- 
vanced. 


the  Bible,  The  books  are  the  result  of  a 
progressive  growth  in  man's  grasp  of  God. 
Not  that  the  earlier  was  untrue;  but  that 
it  was  partial — less  full — when  compared 
with  the  later.  The  earlier  laws  were  per- 
fect for  those  generations,  but  they  were 
temporary.  They  were  not  adapted  for  a 
more  enlightened  and  complex  civilization. 
"  There  was  a  time  of  ignorance,"  says 
Farrar,  "  which  God  winked  at  in  the 
Jewish  as  well  as  in  the  heathen  world." 
Christ  brought  to  perfection  the  laws  stated 
by  Moses  for  an  earlier  age. 

The  development  in  the  presentation  of 
spiritual  truth,  and  the  many-sidedness  of 
the  appeal  adapted  to  the  diversities  of 
human  natures,  make  the  Bible  an  in- 
terest-holding Book.  To  notice  but  a  few 
features  of  this  variety,  we  see  how  the  Je- 
hovah— the  Ruler,  Judge  and  God  of  bat- 
tles— of  the  Old  Testament  is  the  Heaven- 
ly Father  of  the  I^ew.  The  conception  of 
a  deliverer  of  Israel  gradually  develops. 
He  is  first  a  man,  a  descendant  of  Abra- 
ham. At  the  last,  he  is  called  by  Isaiah 
"  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God, 
Everlasting  Father,  Prince  of  Peace."  At 
the  first,  sacrifice  is  external, — ^the  sacri- 
fice of  beasts.     At  the  last,  it  becomes  a 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  63 

matter  of  life, — love  and  good  deeds, 
"....present  your  bodies  a  living  sacri- 
fice, holy,  acceptable  unto  God.  .  .  .''  (Ro- 
mans 12: 1). 

III.     It  has  many  'Authors. 

The  sixty-six  books  of  the  Bible  are  the  From  many 

.  times, 

product  of  forty  or  more  men,  who  lived  at 

widely  separated  periods.  A  thousand 
years  and  more  divide  the  first  of  them 
from  the  last.  Moses  lived  at  the  time  of 
the  Exodus;  David  and  Solomon  at  the 
crowning  height  of  Jewish  history;  Amos 
when  the  Assyrian  was  knocking  at  the 
gates ;  Ezekiel  when  by  the  waters  of  Bab- 
ylon they  sat  and  wept;  Matthew  in  the 
shadow  of  the  Cross.  In  each  writer  there 
is  a  reflection  of  the  time  in  which  he  lived. 

These  books  sprang  from  various  soils.  From 
The  law  came  from  the  desert  of  Sinai;  soils, 
many  of  the  prophecies  and  "  writings " 
from  Judea,'  in  and  about  Jerusalem; 
others  of  the  prophecies  from  Egypt,  As- 
syria, and  Babylonia;  the  epistles  of  the 
New  Testament  from  Greece,  Asia  Minor 
and  Rome;  and  the  Revelation  of  John 
from  the  isle  of  Patmos. 


From 
mai 
cone 

were   placed  were    as    diversified   as   can     tions 


The   conditions    in   which   the    authors     ^^^7 

condi- 


64  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

well  be  imagined.     Their  rank,  prosperity 

and  times  were  seldom  the  same  or  alike. 

We  see  Moses  in  the  midst  of  a  horde  of 

fleeing  slaves ;  David  in  the  king's  palace ; 

Isaiah  in  the  degenerating  civilization  of 

the  kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel ;  Daniel 

in  the  midst  of  Babylon's  idolatry;  Ezra 

in  the  time  of  revival ;  John  in  the  Roman 

persecution. 

Of  many  There  are  back  of  these  books  and  coming 

natures 
and  occu-  Out  through  them  the  different  natures  and 

pations.  occupations  of  their  authors.  Coursing 
through  the  pages  we  hear  successively  the 
voices  of  lawgiver,  general,  seer,  king, 
prophet,  poet,  psalmist,  peasant,  chroni- 
cler, publican,  physician,  philosopher  and 
fisherman.  At  one  time  it  is  the  voice  of 
entreaty ;  at  another  it  is  the  shout  of  exul- 
tation ;  and  next  it  is  the  cry  of  penitence. 
Now  it  is  the  tense  note  of  argument  or 
denunciation;  and  then  again  it  is  the 
hushed  breathings  of  rest,  praise  and  rev- 
ery.  We  have  here  the  mysticism  and  the 
profound  spiritual  experience  of  David  or 
John;  there  the  dialectics  and  enthusiasm 
of  Paul ;  and  yonder  the  practical  word  of 
James  or  Peter.  Turn  the  page  and  it  is 
Job  or  Ecclesiastes  grappling  with  the 
great  problems  of  the  world;  Jeremiah  in 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  65 

a  melanclioly  mood;  or  Habakkuk  with 
his  conquering  faith  defying  doubt  and  des- 
tiny. 

Thus  we  have  the  imprint  of  different 
minds  and  natures  under  unlike  conditions, 
not  only  upon  the  same  subject,  but  upon 
different  subjects.  Men,  severed  as  far  as 
possible  from  each  other  by  intellectual 
culture,  temperament  and  literary  style, 
picture  man  and  present  the  moral  and 
spiritual  themes  of  the  Bible.  JSTo  wonder 
the  Bible  is  saved  from  monotony,  and 
gives  truth  with  so  remarkable  a  balance 
and  so  cumulative  an  effect. 

IV.     It  is  for  All  Men, 

The  Bible,  being  so  comprehensive  in  its 
statement  .of  what  moral  (and  spiritual 
states  are  approved  by  God  in  every  im- 
aginable circumstance  in  which  every  sort 
of  person  imaginable  could  be  placed,  is 
therefore  a  book  of  inestimable  value  to 
men  and  women  in  every  nation,  time, 
clime,  and  condition.  It  gives  expert  guid- 
ance for  all.  It  is  the  universal  key  to 
conduct. 

The  Book   appeals  to  people  in  every  in  every 
mood,    and   not   to   the   intellectual  mind     ™°°  * 
alone,  neither  to  the  imaginative  or  the 


66  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

poetical  alone.  Its  appeal  is  to  these. 
It  is  also  and  equally  to  the  sympathetic, 
the  emotional  and  the  practical.  It  is 
suitable  for  the  cheerful;  it  is  equally 
adapted  for  the  downcast. 
In  every  The  appeal  reaches  people  of  every  age 

circum-  "^"^  t.     .  ,, 

stance,  and  m  every  condition.  It  is  equally  at- 
tractive to  the  child,  the  youth,  the  mature 
and  the  aged.  It  is  for  the  strong  and  the 
weak,  hale  and  sick,  traveler  and  home 
man,  the  man  on  the  calm  wave  or  the  one 
on  the  boisterous  billow.  The  mother  in 
the  Arctic  hut  or  beneath  the  Southern 
Cross  lulls  her  babe  to  sleep  with  its  lyrics. 
The  sailor  leaning  over  the  rail  in  the  In- 
dian Ocean,  and  the  soldier  on  the  Trans- 
vaal battlefield,  read  it  at  night  by  the  light 
of  moon  or  campfire.  The  owner  of  the 
palace  and  the  red  man  in  his  wigwam 
alike  adore  its  depths.  The  man  beginning 
his  career  and  the  worn-out  patriarch  on  his 
death-bed  equally  prize  its  blessed  page. 
There  are  the  finger-posts  pointing  to  the 
wells  of  comfort  and  consolation,  the  green 
pastures  and  still  waters,  the  cities  of 
refuge  and  the  shadow  of  the  Rock. 
Becanse  of  This  is  SO  because  of  its  truthfulness. 
fSness*.  -^*  bears  on  its  face  evidence  to  its  own 
truthfulness.      There   is  no   dilettanteism 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  Q^ 

about  it.  It  uses  plain  speech,  straight- 
forward narration  of  facts,  with  utter  in- 
difference to  fastidiousness  about  words. 
It  is  honest  in  every  particular.  It  calls  a 
fig  a  fig  and  a  spade  a  spade.  It  is  truthful 
in  its  biography.  It  describes  men  as  they 
really  were.  Even  the  worthies  it  does 
not  hide  in  their  iniquity.  IToah's  drunk- 
enness, Abraham's  deceitfulness,  Lot's 
worldliness,  Jacob's  fraud,  Moses'  hot- 
headedness,  David's  adultery,  Elijah's  ti- 
midity, Peter's  disloyalty,  are  not  white- 
washed. There  is  no  unreality  in  any  part 
of  the  Scriptures.  Men's  own  experience 
testifies  to  its  truthfulness.  It  is  bold 
and  confident  in  all  its  statements,  and 
thus  invites  the  inquiry  and  challenges  the 
criticism  of  men.  These  bold  statements 
at  one  time  standing  alone  caused  men  to 
hesitate,  especially  when  the  statements 
seemed  to  be  contradicted  by  secular  his- 
tory. But  now  the  Bible  is  being  vindi- 
cated by  the  monuments, — by  the  Moabite 
stone  discovered  in  1868,  the  El-Amarna 
tablets  discovered  in  1887,  and  by  recent 
discoveries  in  Egypt  and  Babylonia — and 
educated  men  hav^e  the  growing  conviction 
that  there  is  a  good  warrant  for  its  bold- 
ness and  confidence  in  all  its  assertions. 


eg  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Its  truthfulness,   self-evident,  experienced 
and  proven,  causes  them  to  come  and  listen. 


v.     It  is  One  Booh. 

With  all  its  diversity  the  Bihle  does 
not  hang  loosely  together.  The  library  is 
one  Book. 

One  nation  It  has  the  unity  which  arises  from  the 
one  nationality  back  of  it  and  the  chief 
history  which  it  narrates.  From  Glenesis 
to  Kevelation  it  first  of  all  depicts  God^s 
dealings  with  Israel,  both  as  a  nation  and 
as  individuals.  Israel's  several  privileges, 
several  falls,  several  punishments  and  sev- 
eral restorations  make  up  the  body  of  the 
Book. 

Emphasis         There  is  from  first  to  last  a  fixed  sepa- 


behind 
it. 


themes  ration  of  good  from  evil.  Even  though  the 
consis-  early  teaching  may  not  be  so  full  as  the 
later  there  is  no  contradiction  between 
them.  Good  and  evil  are  always  held 
apart.  The  good  is  ever  esteemed  highly 
and  effort  made  to  perpetuate  it.  Evil  is 
ever  rebuked  and  punished.  Noah  is  res- 
cued from  a  wicked  world,  Abraham  called 
to  start  a  separate  nation,  Esau  separated 
from  Jacob,  Jacob's  descendants  brought 
out  of  Egypt,  Saul  rejected  for  David, 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  69 

kings'  and  peoples'  sins  rebuked  by  proph- 
ets, Israel  punished  by  captivity  and  again 
roused  to  do  the  right  by  her  leaders  and 
prophets.  John  the  Baptist  preached 
righteousness.  Christ  and  his  apostles 
marked  the  cleavage  clearer  than  ever. 

All  through  the  Book  the  idea  is  im- 
pressed that  God  proposes  to  restore  sin- 
ful man  by  grace  through  One  to  be  sent. 
The  first  promise  of  this  was  given  to 
Adam  and  Eve  in  God's  address  to  the  ser- 
pent :  "  And  I  will  put  enmity  between 
thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed :  he  shall  bruise  thy  head  and 
thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel."  The  promise 
was  repeated  successively,  and  in  ever 
clearer  terms,  to  Koah,  Abraham,  Isaac, 
Jacob,  Moses,  and  David.  The  prophets, 
centuries  before  the  Saviour's  advent,  fore- 
told his  coming.  The  whole  Bible  may  be 
summed  up  in  three  sentences, — "  He  is 
coming;  He  has  come;  He  will  come 
again."  The  one  spiritual  teaching,  which 
has  been  called  the  "  Epic  of  Redemption," 
is  the  burden  of  the  Book.  It  was  their 
bearing  upon  this  teaching  that  determined 
the  selection  of  the  books  which  compose 
the  "  Divine  Library." 

There  is  a  consistency  in  the  various 


70  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

books  in  all  the  spiritual  truths  they  im- 
part. God  is  always  holy;  man,  sinful; 
the  future  of  God's  kingdom,  triumphant 
and  glorious.  The  teaching  concerning  re- 
generation and  all  other  subjects  whether 
it  be  given  by  Moses,  David,  Hosea  or 
Paul,  is  essentially  the  same.-"- 
Books  are  The  different  books  are  complements  of 
a  whole.  ^  larger  whole.  The  individual  books, 
though  in  a  sense  complete  in  themselves, 
are  yet  but  treatments  of  separate  aspects 
of  a  larger  subject.  To  get  a  complete 
statement  of  the  subject  of  conduct,  a  per- 
fect view  of  human  character,  a  thorough 
understanding  of  the  new  life,  one  needs, 
not  one  book,  but  the  whole  Bible.  It  is 
one  book  in  that  it  contains  all  the  facts, 
doctrines  and  persuasives  needed  for  men's 
improvement.  Every  part  has  its  peculiar 
worth,  and  contributes  its  share  to  the  per- 
fection of  the  whole.  As  the  continents, 
islands,  lakes,  seas,  rivers,  valleys  and 
mountains  are  parts  of  one  earth,  so  law, 
prophecy,  poetry,  ethics,  and  revelation 
are  parts  of  one  book.  The  speech  of  the 
patriarchs,  the  legislation  of  Moses,  the 
song  of  the  psalmists,  the  announcements 

»  See  on  the  unity  of  the  Bible,  Sir  W.  P.  Wood,  The  Con- 
tinuity  of  Scripture^  for  a  fuller  derelopment  of  the 
argument. 


DIVERSIFIED  UNITY.  71 

of  the  prophets,  the  gospel  of  Christ,  the 
teachings  of  Paul  and  the  apocalypse  of 
John  are  organically  one.  The  Bihle  is 
an  orchestra:  it  has  many  parts  but  one 
grand  volume  of  harmonious  music. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

CHOICEST  LITERATURE. 

inspira-  The  Bible  is  a  peculiarly  inspired  book, 

yet  it  is  thoroughly  human.  The  inspira- 
tion was  of  a  kind  that  did  not  obscure 
the  personal  traits  of  the  writers.  The 
life  has  a  basis  in  clay  as  well  as  in  the 
breath  of  God.  The  writers  were  not  ham- 
pered in  the  least  in  their  use  of  all  legit- 
imate human  devices  to  make  the  message 
attractive.  The  literary  attractiveness,  in- 
stead of  proving  God^s  absence,  is  rather 
an  indication  of  his  presence  in  both  the 
form  and  spirit  of  the  book. 

Human  In  days  now  departing  the  human  ele- 

often  hid  i^ent  was  minimized  by  many.  This  was 
by  men.     j^g  jj^  p^^^  lo  j.]^g  ^^y  [^  which  the  book 

was  printed.  There  was  no  regard  to  the 
form,  whether  prose  or  poetry,  in  which  it 
was  originally  written.  'No  distinction 
was  made  between  history  or  drama.  No 
effort  was  made  to  show  the  structure  of 
discourse    or    epistle.       The    whole    was 

78 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  73 

printed  in  a  dreary  monotony  of  chapters 
and  verses,  separated  not  on  the  natural 
lines  of  cleavage,  but  capriciously. 

The  manner  in  which  many  men  read 
the  Word  in  public  worship  hid  its  human 
side.  All  naturalness  was  taken  out  of 
the  vocalization  of  the  words,  and  a  cer- 
tain tone  given  to  them  which  aimed  to 
convey  mysteriously  to  the  audience  the 
idea  that  they  were  hearing  not  man's 
word  but  God's.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  spirit  of  reverence  was  behind  this 
manner  of  reading,  and  it  inspired  rever- 
ence in  many ;  but  it  is  no  less  true  that  it 
did  not  attract  the  world  to  the  Book. 
Neither  did  it  help  Christians  to  see  its 
beauty  as  literature. 

The  method  of  preaching  sermons  from 
texts,  useful  in  a  hundred  ways,  failed  to 
show,  and  perhaps  hindered  the  vision  of, 
the  literary  character  of  the  Scriptures. 

The  aim  of  God  in  using  the  Bible  was  ^o^'s  aim, 

and  a 
to  reach  the  ungodly  and  to  develop  the     human 

God-fearing.      The   latter   might   survive,       ^°^* 

but  would  not  thrive  vigorously,  on  a  few 

plain,  unadorned  chapters  on  morals  and 

theology;   a  few  paragraphs  on  the  facts 

of    the    incarnation    and    the    atonement, 

the   duties  of  the   present^   the   thoughts 


74  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

"wLicli  comfort,  support  and  guide.  But 
God  in  his  wisdom  adapted  the  Word  to 
the  character  of  the  men  whom  he  had 
created.  He  suited  it,  as  he  did  nature, 
for  taste.  He  made  it  to  catch  the  heart 
which  was  made  to  love  the  attractive. 

I.     The  Elements  of  Great  Literature  in 
the  Bible, 

Figures  of  1.  The  figurative  language  attracts. 
Unknown  ideas  are  difficult  to  comprehend, 
and  hence  are  unattractive  to  many  in  their 
bald  setting  forth.  These  ideas,  explained 
in  terms  of  the  known,  instantly  become 
attractive.  The  Bible  makes  spiritual 
truths  clear  and  charming  by  means  of  ref- 
erences to  known  facts.  Nature,  common 
life,  political  and  religious  institutions 
and  history  are  exhausted  in  making  clear 
the  character  of  God,  the  spiritual  life, 
the  future,  etc.  In  giving  the  many- 
sidedness  of  the  nature  of  God,  he  is 
called  Lawgiver,  King,  Shepherd,  Father, 
etc.  Jesus  Christ  is  spoken  of  as  Son, 
Brother,  Vine,  Bread  of  Life,  etc.  Heaven 
is  referred  to  as  a  house  of  many  mansions, 
a  city,  etc.  The  care  of  God  finds  illus- 
tration in  the  mountains  round  about  Jeru- 
salem; the  thirst  for  righteousness,  in  the 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE,  75 

hart  that  panteth  for  water  hrooks.  Evil 
is  called  ^'  tares."  The  end  of  the  world 
is  a  "  harvest."  The  ceremonies  and  in- 
stitutions of  the  Hebrews  are  used  to  illus- 
trate the  truths  of  the  Gospel  dispensa- 
tion. The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  con- 
tains striking  examples  of  this  use.  Eef- 
erences  are  made  in  the  !New  Testament 
frequently  to  the  history  of  Israel,  in  the 
way  of  illustrating  or  pointing  a  truth. 
"  And  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in 
the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of 
man  be  lifted  up;  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  may  in  him  have  eternal  life " 
(John  3 :  14,  15)  ;  "  For  they  drank  of  a 
spiritual  rock  that  followed  them:  and  the 
rock  was  Christ"  (I.  Cor.  10:  4).^ 

l^ot  only  do  the  figurative  details  make 
the  truths  attractive,  but  they  themselves 
are  essentially  attractive.  The  picture  of 
nature  illustrating  the  might  of  God,  which 
is  given  in  Psalm  29,  is  vivid  and  grand. 
One  can  see  the  storm,  marching  up  from 
the  Mediterranean,  through  the  mountains 
of  Lebanon,  and  into  the  wilderness  of 
Kadesh.  The  portrayal  of  the  love  of  God 
in  Luke  15,  is  full  of  beauty  in  the  touches 


>  See  E.  Robie,  "  Figurative  Language  of  the  Scripture,' 
Bib.  Sac.  vol.  13.  p.  314. 


76 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Great 
themes. 


Great 
spirit. 


of  human  life  which  it  gives.  In  all  the 
natural  descriptions  and  the  relation  of 
simple  incidents  there  is  perfection.  God's 
knowledge  of  and  power  over  nature  as 
depicted  in  Job  38  to  41  has  no  parallel. 
There  is  a  charm  in  the  glimpses  of  com- 
mon life  we  get  in  all  the  narrative.  A 
good  example  is  found  in  Gen.  24. 

2.  The  Bible  occupies  the  topmost 
place  in  literature  by  virtue  of  the  themes 
which  it  presents  for  human  consideration. 
About  all  of  its  discussions  there  are  a 
majesty  and  a  magnificence  more  than 
kingly.  ]N"o  other  book  has  such  weighty 
subjects,  as  may  be  seen  from  a  mention  of 
some  of  them.  A  Power  Underlying  All 
and  Guiding  All.  The  Purpose  of  the 
World.  Perfect  Human  Life.  A  Perfect 
Social  World.  Service.  World  Federa- 
tion. A  Life  Beyond.  The  Evolution  of 
Choice.  The  Vastness  of  Small  Things. 
The  grandeur  is  due  to  a  combination  of 
theme,  vision  and  earnestness. 

3.  There  is  the  spirit  of  the  greatest 
literature  in  the  Scriptures,  without  any 
detracting  exceptions.  They  appeal  to  the 
best  instincts,  and  draw  them  out  into 
richer  fulness,  because  they  are  an  ex- 
pression of  the  best  spirit.    There  is  every- 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  ^7 

where  from  first  to  last  a  seriousness  of 
purpose.  It  never  bends  to  the  foolish  or 
absurd.  Its  aim  at  making  men  holy  is 
never  lost  sight  of  in  its  history,  poetry, 
prophecy,  gospel  and  epistle.  There  is 
running  every^^here  a  consciousness  of  the 
unseen.  "  Holy,  Holy,  Holy  "  ever  rings 
in  the  ear  v^hile  we  read ;  God  is  ever  near ; 
the  invisible  is  about  us.  We  are  ever  at 
the  portal  of  the  mysterious.  Nature  it 
shows  to  us  as  vocal  with  God.  And  all 
this  is  not  made  repellent,  but  presented  in 
a  way  that  wins  men's  attention,  and  leads 
them  to  consider.  There  is  a  purity  which 
is  perfect.  There  is  reference  to  the  vices 
of  men,  but  never  in  a  way  to  make  them 
attractive.  The  description  of  them  never 
hurts  the  purest  character  or  takes  from 
the  defenses  of  the  weakest.  There  are 
no  "  siren  songs  of  sensuality."  If  vice 
must  be  mentioned,  unnecessary  details  are 
omitted,  and  the  reader  is  always  made  to 
feel  the  awful  and  hideous  nature  of  sin. 
It  touches  men  with  its  pathos.  It  is  not 
dead  to  sentiment.  The  side  of  character 
is  revealed  which  brings  tears  of  joy  in 
the  seeing;  tears  of  pride  in  humanity; 
tears  of  gratitude  for  noble  nature;  tears 
of   generosity    and   patriotism.      ITothing 


78  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

finer  anywhere  can  be  found  than  the  de- 
scription of  the  death  of  Jacob,  the  affect- 
ing narrative  of  David  and  Absalom,  the 
pertinacity  and  yet  the  submissiveness  of 
the  v^oman  of  Shunem  praying  for  her 
son,  the  plaintive  cry  of  the  exile  by  Ba- 
bel's waters,  and  the  "  Forgive  them  "  of 
Calvary.  Though  it  is  full  of  seriousness, 
sacredness,  sobriety  and  sympathy  it  is  also 
filled  with  joy.  There  is  in  it  the  ring  of 
victory,  not  defeat ;  the  breath  of  life,  not 
death;  the  whisper  of  hope,  not  despair; 
and  confident  assurance,  not  doubt.  The 
jbyful  odes  of  Mary  and  Zacharias,  the 
song  of  the  angels,  and  the  sublime  strain 
of  the  Baptist  from  the  wilderness,  are  but 
echoes  in  the  New  Testament  from  the  long 
silent  harps  of  the  ancient  prophets. 

4.  The  style  of  the  literature,  both  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  places  the 
Book  at  the  head  of  all  books.  Its  style  is, 
in  fact,  a  test  of  all  style. 
Clearness.  (1)  Noticing,  of  course,  the  fact  that 
there  are  ideas  which  cannot  be  perfectly 
clear  but  to  those  who  are  spiritually 
minded;  that  the  Bible,  as  did  Jesus, 
speaks  in  parables  to  those  who  are  unpre- 
pared to  hear ;  one  nevertheless  cannot  fail 
to  observe  that,  taken  generally,  there  is 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  79 

simplicity  of  speech  and  directness.  Even 
the  parable  is,  in  its  outward  shell,  clear. 
Where  can  anything  for  simplicity  of  ex- 
pression surpass  the  narratives  of  Genesis 
or  the  Gospels  ? 

(2)  It  bears  the  mark  of  fact.     The  Truthful- 
sphere  about  which  assertions  are  made  is 

that  of  the  inner,  eternal,  universal  and  un- 
changeable. All  else  is  incidental.  These 
assertions  the  Bible  makes  with  a  voice  of 
authority  so  amazingly  confident  that  it 
does  not  usually  trouble  to  apologize,  argue 
or  prove.  The  truth  in  many  of  the  asser- 
tions is  self-evidencing,  and  cannot  be  de- 
nied by  anyone.  All  other  statements  in 
regard  to  matters  of  the  religious  life  which 
can  be  tried,  have  been  tested  and  found 
worthy  of  reliance.  Consequently  when  it 
speaks  about  the  higher  realities  men  take 
its  word  as  final,  believing  it  can  be  trusted 
here  as  it  can  be  on  the  subjects  of  man's 
experiences,  loves,  longings,  hopes,  prob- 
lems and  battles. 

(3)  The   word   of  God   is   wide   and  Compre- 

hGnsiv©- 

deep.    There  is  milk  for  the  immature  and     ^ess. 
meat  for  the  full-grown  in  it.     It  charms 
the  child,  and  at  the  same  time  engages  the 
thinker  in  its  treatment  of  the  vast  prob- 
lems of  the  universe.     There  is  no  book 


80  't'HE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

which  so  analyzes  men's  being.  The  deep- 
est emotions,  motives  and  moods  are  laid 
bare.  The  will  in  all  its  intricate  rela- 
tions is  examined.  The  simplicity  of  state- 
ment is  not  because  of  any  superficiality  of 
idea.  ITot  only  is  there  a  profound  insight 
and  richness  of  conception  in  the  Bible, 
there  is  also  a  range  and  amplitude  of  sym- 
pathy and  knowledge  which  make  it  at  once 
the  book  of  all  men.  Jeremiah  is  pensive ; 
Hosea,  loving;  John,  penetrative;  James, 
practical;  Peter,  sanguine;  and  Paul, 
heroic.  It  knows  the  simple  and  the  grand, 
city  and  country,  land  and  sea,  valley  and 
mountain,  the  specific  and  the  general,  the 
seen  and  the  unseen,  the  temporal  and  the 
eternal.  Dives  and  Lazarus. 
Dignity.  (4)     There    is     an    exquisite    reserve 

everywhere.  The  details  of  sin  are  not 
dwelt  upon.  Writers  speak  about  them- 
selves with  modesty.  The  anticipation  of 
great  things  is  stated  calmly.  The  com- 
mands are  not  overdone.  The  tenderness, 
the  sympathy  and  the  love  are  intimate, 
yet  do  not  step  beyond  the  bounds  of  pro- 
priety. There  is  a  solemnity  and  sublimity 
in  the  air  of  the  whole  Bible  which  do 
not  permit  of  descent  from  a  height  which 
recognizes  at  the  same  time  the  dignity  of 


CHOICEST  LITEMATURR  81 

the  Lord  and  the  dignity  of  man.  The 
style  is  what  Matthew  Arnold  called 
"  grand."  There  is  an  unforced  and  un- 
studied majesty  in  every  line. 

(5)  A  glowing  earnestness  pervades  Fire, 
every  portion  of  the  Scriptures.  Even  the 
prose  lights  up  under  the  faith,  which  can- 
not be  subdued,  of  the  writers,  and  the 
line  between  prose  and  poetry  is  lost. 
There  was  a  rapid  vibration  of  the  holy 
men's  hearts,  which  gave  a  white-hot  tor- 
rent of  words,  vehement,  sparkling,  sin- 
revealing,  heart-searching,  and  heaven- 
lighting.  And  this  was  so,  no  matter  if 
it  was  in  reciting  patriarchal  narratives 
or  portraying  the  loyalty  of  D'avid's 
mighty  men,  the  faith  of  Habakkuk,  or 
the  vision  of  the  new  heavens  and  the  new: 
earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness.  ■"• 

II.     The  Forms  of  Great  Literature  in 
the  Bible. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  attractive 
elements  of  great  literature,  the  Bible 
has  the  charm  of  being  written  in  all  the 
leading  forms  of  great  literature,  and 
these  at  their  best.     The  great  essentials 

1  See  J.  E.  McFadyen,  Bib.  World  vol.  16,  pp.  438  flf. 


features. 


82  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

are  found  in  all  the  great  forms.  This,  of 
course,  is  not  to  say  that  every  verse  or 
chapter  belongs  to  one  of  the  great  forms 
of  literature.  We  must  remember  that  we 
have  here,  besides  formal  and  elaborate 
creations,  briefs  of  addresses,  reporters' 
notes,  and  editors'  compilations.  But 
even  these  are  generally  presented  in  a 
most  fascinating  manner. 
Unique  Before  mentioning  the  varieties  of  form, 

it  may  be  well  to  notice  certain  unique 
features  of  Bible  prose  and  poetry. 

The  versification  is  not  the  measured 
blank  verse  of  Milton,  the  smoothly  flow- 
ing lines  of  Pope,  nor  the  dancing  rhymes 
of  Burns.  These  do  not  of  themselves 
constitute  poetry.  Poetry  is  not  so  much 
in  the  outer  garb  as  in  the  inner  glow. 
The  inner  ideas  are  generally  expressed  by 
poets  in  harmonious  outer  garbs  of  sound 
and  measure,  but  not  by  Hebrew  poets. 
Their  harmony  is  of  a  higher  order.  It 
is  the  harmony  of  thought  produced  by 
'paralleling  whole  propositions.  The  lead- 
ing thought  is  expressed,  usually,  in  coup- 
lets, the  first  of  which  contains  the  main 
sentiment,  the  second  repeats,  amplifies  or 
balances  it.  Illustrations  may  be  found 
by  opening  the  book  of  Psalms  anywhere. 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  83 

The   following   quotations  will  bring  the 
parallelisms  out  clearly. 

"The  earth  is  Jehovah's,  and  the  fulness  thereof; 
The  world,  and  they  that  dwell  therein. 
For  he  hath  founded  it  upon  the  seas, 
And  established  it  upon  the  floods."  (Ps.  24: 1,  2.) 

**  For  in  the  day  of  trouble  he  will  keep  me  secretly 
in  his  pavilion: 
In  the  covert  of  his  tabernacle  will  he  hide  me." 
(Ps.  37:5.) 

The  sevenfold,  fivefold  and  threefold 
structures  are  prominent  in  Hebrew  writ- 
ings. Solomon's  Song,  Ezekiel,  Daniel, 
Hosea,  Joel,  and  [N'ahum  are  sevenfold. 
Isaiah  has  seven  divisions,  the  seventh  has 
seven  visions,  and  the  first  vision  is  seven- 
fold. Jeremiah  has  examples  of  the  seven- 
fold structure.  The  three  divisions  of 
Amos  are  each  sevenfold.  In  the  New 
Testament,  Matthew  presents  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  in  seven  sections.  The 
Revelation  of  John  has  a  prologue  of  seven 
addresses,  and  the  body  of  the  book  is  an 
unfolding  of  seven  visions,  each  of  which 
falls  into  seven  subdivisions.  The  ^^  Wis- 
dom "  books, — Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ec- 
clesiastes  and  Lamentations — ^have  the 
fivefold  structure.  Putting  the  Old  and 
!N"ew  Testaments  side  by  side,  there  is  a 


Job. 


84  THE  MAGNETISM  Oi  THE  BIBLE. 

corresponding  general  threefold  division. 
There  is  a  division  of  the  Old  into  His- 
tory, Wisdom  and  Prophetical  hooks.  In 
the  ]^ew  v^e  have  a  similar  arrangement 
in  History  (the  four  Gospels  and  Acts), 
Wisdom  (the  Epistles),  and  Prophecy 
(the  Revelation  of  John). 

1.     Drama. 

In  the  great  literatures  outside  the 
Bible,  Sophocles,  Euripides  and  Shake- 
speare are  the  most  distinguished  drama- 
tists. The  Bible  is  replete  with  dramatic 
incidents  and  situations.  It  has  drama  on 
a  small  scale  in  some  minor  poems.  Job 
surpasses  anything  v^hich  the  Greek  or 
English  dramatists  ever  produced.  It  is 
constructed  on  a  majestic  scale.  Opening 
in  heaven,  v^ith  the  sons  of  God  presenting 
themselves  before  Jehovah,  and  Satan 
among  them,  the  scene  changes  to  earth, 
with  an  ash-heap  for  stage ;  a  panorama  of 
universal  nature  for  scenery — Orion  and 
the  Pleiades  sailing  by,  a  rising  storm, 
flashing  lightning,  rolling  thunder  and  an 
arching  rainbow;  for  characters,  Satan,  a 
group  of  men,  and  God;  for  theme,  the 
mystery  of  human  suffering;  for  dramatic 
movement,  patience  to  anger,  anger  to  sup- 
plication,   supplication   to    penitence    and 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE,  85 

trust;  for  outcome,  the  vindication  of  Job 
by  the  intervention  of  Deity;  for  moral 
teaching,  to  "  assert  eternal  Providence 
and  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  men." 

2.     Lyric. 

The  Greeks  had  Anacreon  and  Sappho;  Many 
the  Eomans,  Horace;  and  the  Anglo-  ^°"^^* 
Saxons,  Shelley,  Moore  and  Burns.  These 
gave  us  secular  lyric  poetry  at  its  highest. 
In  the  Old  Testament  all  forms  of  lyric 
poetry  are  found.  There  are  hallads  like 
the  Song  of  Moses  and  Miriam  (Exod. 
15),  monodies  like  Psalms  32,  51,  medi- 
tations like  Psalm  119.  All  of  these  are  of 
a  high  poetic  order,  many  of  them  reach- 
ing a  sublime  elevation.  But  the  lyric 
poetry  of  the  Bible  reaches  its  zenith,  and 
outstrips  all  the  lyrics  of  the  world  in  its 
sonnets,  odes,  songs,  idyls,  antJiems  and 
elegies.  The  whole  world  cannot  produce 
the  equal  of  the  "  Sonnet  on  Old  Age," 
on  that  subject. 

"Remember  also  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy 

youth  : 
Or  ever  the  evil  days  come, 
And  the  years  draw  nigh, 
When  thou  shalt  say  I  have  no  pleasure  in 
them  : 


86 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Or  ever  the  sun, 

And  the  light, 

And  the  moon. 

And  the  stars. 
Be  darkened, 

And  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain: 
In  the  day  when  the  keeper  of  the  house  shall 

tremble, 
And  the  strong  men  shall  bow  themselves, 
And  the  grinders  cease  because  they  are  few, 
And  those  that  look  out    of  the  windows   be 

darkened. 
And  the  door  shall  be  shut  in  the  street; 

"When  the  sound  of  the  grinding  is  low, 
And  one  shall  rise  up  at  the  voice  of  a  bird, 
And  all  the  daughters  of  music  shall  be  brought 
low; 

Yea,  they  shall  be  afraid  of  that  which  is  high, 
And  terrors  shall  be  in  the  way ; 
And  the  almond  tree  shall  blossom, 
And  the  grasshopper  shall  be  a  burden, 
And  the  caperberry  shall  burst : 

Because  man  goeth  to  his  long  home, 
And  the  mourners  go  about  the  streets : 

Or  ever  the  silver  cord  be  loosed, 

Or  the  golden  bowl  be  broken, 

Or  the  pitcher  be  broken  at  the  fountain, 

Or  the  wheel  broken  at  the  cistern: 

And  the  dust  return  to  the  earth, 

As  it  was ; 
And  the  spirit  return  unto  God, 

Who  gave  it."i    (Eccl.  12:  1-7.) 

1  See  R.  Q.  Moulton's  Modern  Readers''  Bible. 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE,  87 

Human  mind  cannot  excel  the  "  Ode  on 
Divine  Providence "  (Psalms  103  and 
104).  Campbell's  '^  Hohenlinden,"  Burns' 
"Scots  Wha  Hae,"  Scott's  "  Flodden 
Field,"  or  any  battle  scene  in  Homer  can- 
not equal  the  "  War-song  of  Deborah " 
(Judg.  5).  Its  condensations  are  marvel- 
ous. The  tramp  of  Canaanitish  cavalry, 
the  din  of  spears  and  shields  are  audible; 
the  battle  array  and  participating  nature 
are  visible  as  we  listen  to  the  song.  Noth- 
ing in  secular  poetry  equals  in  sustained 
loftiness  of  expression  and  grandeur  of 
conception,  "  The  Eeign  of  the  Eighteous 
King." 

"  Give  the  king  thy  judgments,  O  God, 

And  thy  righteousness  unto  the  king's  son. 

He  will  judge  thy  people  with  righteousness, 

And  thy  poor  with  justice. 

The  mountains  shall  bring  peace  to  the  people, 

And  the  hills,  in  righteousness. 

He  will  judge  the  poor  of  the  people, 

He  will  save  the  children  of  the  needy, 

And  will  break  in  pieces  the  oppressor. 

They  shall  fear  thee  while  the  sun  endureth, 

And  so  long  as  the  moon,  throughout  all  genera- 
tions. 

He  will  come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown 
grass, 

As  showers  that  water  the  earth. 

In  his  days  shall  the  righteous  flourish, 

And  abundance  of  peace,  till  the  moon  be  no 
more. 


88  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

He  shall  have  dominion  also  from  sea  to  sea, 

And  from  the  River  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

They  that  dwell  in  the  wilderness  shall  bow  be- 
fore him ; 

And  his  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust. 

The  kings  of  Tarshish  and  of  the  isles  shall 
render  tribute : 

The  kings  of  Sheba  and  Seba  shall  offer  gifts. 

Yea,  all  kings  shall  fall  down  before  him; 

All  nations  shall  serve  him. 

For  he  will  deliver  the  needy  when  he  crieth, 

And  the  poor,  that  hath  no  helper. 

He  will  have  pity  on  the  poor  and  needy, 

And  the  souls  of  the  needy  he  will  save. 

He  will  redeem  their  soul  from  oppression  and 
violence  ; 

And  precious  will  their  blood  be  in  his  sight : 

And  they  shall  live ;  and  to  him  shall  be  given  of 
the  gold  of  Sheba : 

And  men  shall  pray  for  him  continually  ; 

They  shall  bless  him  all  the  day  long. 

There  shall  be  abundance  of  grain  in  the  earth 
upon  the  top  of  the  mountains  ; 

The  fruit  thereof  shall  shake  like  Lebanon  : 

And  they  of  the  city  shall  flourish  like  grass  of 
the  earth. 

His  name  shall  endure  for  ever  ; 

His  name  shall  be  continued  as  long  as  the  sun  : 

And  men  shall  be  blessed  in  him  ; 

All  nations  shall  call  him  happy. 

Blessed  be  Jehovah  God,  the  God  of  Israel, 

Who  only  doeth  wondrous  things  : 

And  blessed  be  his  glorious  name  for  ever  ; 

And  let  the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory. 

Ajnen,  and  Amen."  (Ps.  72.) 

"  l!^eit}ier    Theocritus    nor    Virgil,    the 
traditional  masters  of  the  Idyl  have  given 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  89 

anything  that  in  dramatic  elaborateness 
approaches  Solomon's  Song."  The  praise, 
joy  and  bounding  gladness  of  the  world 
reach  their  earthly  climax  in  the  last  five 
Psalms.  The  plaintiveness  of  the  ages 
finds  best  expression  in  such  elegies  as 
Psalm  74,  David's  "  Lament  over  Saul 
and  Jonathan"  (2  Sam.  1:19-27),  and 
the  "Captives  by  Babel's  Waters"  (Ps. 
137). 

The  riches  of  the  Bible  in  this  field  of 
literature  we  cannot  exhaust.  Where  let 
me  ask  again  is  such  simple  beauty,  music 
and  power  of  diction,  such  tenderness  of 
feeling,  such  grandeur  of  imagery,  such 
sublimity  of  conception,  such  devoutness 
of  spirit,  such  morality  of  tone,  such 
depth  of  experience,  or  such  impelling 
power  ?  What  is  the  "  Hymn  before  Sun- 
rise in  the  Vale  of  Chamouni "  of  Cole- 
ridge compared  with  Habakkuk's  anthem 
to  Jehovah's  glory  ?  * 

"  O  Jehovah,  I  have  heard  the  report  of  thee,  and 

am  afraid : 
O  Jehovah,  revive  thy  work  in  the  midst  of  the 

years  ; 
In  the  midst  of  the  years  make  it  known  ; 
In  wrath  remember  mercy. 

*  In  addition  to  lyrics  noticed  see  Job  8,  14,  23,  26  and 
88-41,  and  such  Psalms  as  8, 18, 19, 46, 65,  and  68. 


90  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

God  came  from  Teman, 

And  the  Holy  One  from  mount  Paran. 

His  glory  covered  the  heavens, 

And  the  earth  was  full  of  his  praise. 

And  his  brightness  was  as  the  light  ; 

He  had  rays  coming  forth  from  his  hand  j 

And  there  was  the  hiding  of  his  power. 

Before  him  went  the  pestilence, 

And  fiery  bolts  went  forth  at  his  feet. 

He  stood,  and  measured  the  earth  ; 

He  beheld,  and  drove  asunder  the  nations  ; 

And  the  eternal  mountains  were  scattered  ; 

The  everlasting  hills  did  bow  ; 

His  goings  were  as  of  old. 

I  saw  the  tents  of  Cushan  in  affliction  ; 

The  curtains  of  the  land  of  Midian  did  tremble. 

"Was  Jehovah  displeased  with  the  rivers  1 

Was  thine  anger  against  the  rivers, 

Or  thy  wrath  against  the  sea. 

That  thou  didst  ride  upon  thy  horses, 

Upon  thy  chariots  of  salvation  ? 

Thy  bow  was  made  quite  bare  ; 

The  oaths  to  the  tribes  were  a  sure  word. 

Thou  didst  cleave  the  earth  with  rivers. 

The  mountains  saw  thee,  and  were  afraid  ; 

The  tempest  of  waters  passed  by  ; 

The  deep  uttered  its  voice. 

And  lifted  up  its  hands  on  high. 

The  sun  and  moon  stood  still  in  their  habitation, 

At  the  light  of  thine  arrows  as  they  went, 

At  the  shining  of  thy  glittering  spear. 

Thou  didst  march  through  the  land  in  indigna- 
tion ; 

Thou  didst  thresh  the  nations  manger. 

Thou  wentest  forth  for  the  salvation  of  thy 
people. 

For  the  salvation  of  thine  anointed  ; 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  91 

Thou  woundedst  the  head  out  of  the  house  of  the 

wicked  man, 
Laying  bare  the  foundation  even  unto  the  neck. 
Thou  didst  pierce  with  his  own  staves  the  head  of 

his  warriors  : 
They  came  as  a  whirlwind  to  scatter  me ; 
Their   rejoicing    was    as    to    devour    the    poor 

secretly. 
Thou  didst  tread  the  sea  with  thy  horses, 
The  heap  of  mighty  waters."  (Hab.  3.) 

3.     Philosophy. 

The  wisdom  of  the  centuries  is  given  No  system, 
to  the  world  in  the  Scriptures,  and  that  truth, 
wisdom  the  human  mind  had  not  thought 
out  elsewhere.  It  gives  us  accurately  the 
truth  concerning  the  being,  the  nature  and 
the  mutual  relations  of  the  three  great  ob- 
jects of  human  thought,  namely,  the  uni- 
verse, man  and  God.  Scattered  through 
the  book  are  maxims,  epigrams  and  prov- 
erbs  which  are  crystallizations  of  human 
knowledge  and  experience.  In  Proverbs 
there  are  collections  of  these  on  various 
themes,  such  as  "  Intoxication,"  "  Evil 
company  "  and  "  Laziness."  The  Epistles 
of  Paul,  especially  those  to  the  Romans 
and  the  Galatians,  give  us  the  product  of 
human  thought  at  its  strongest.  In  John's 
epistle  we  have  incomparable  essays  on 
"  Love,"  "  Holiness,"  etc.  In  James 
there  are  classics  on  "  Eaith  and  Works," 


92  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

"Speech,"    ^^  The    Origin    of    Good    and 

Evil,"  "  Wisdom,"  etc.    In  the  Sermon  on 

the  Mount  all  the  great  essential  principles 

of  virtue  are  found.     The  great  problems 

of  Sin  and  Virtue  are  worked  out  by  Job, 

the  Psalmist   (Psalms  37,  73),   and  Ec- 

clesiastes.      Genesis    gives    the    origin    of 

things.      The    didactic    portions    portray 

with   unequaled   touch  the  heart  of  man, 

and  the  nature  and  works  of  God.     The 

"  Night  Thoughts  "  of  Young,  the  "  Task  " 

of    Cowper,    and    Thomson's    "  Seasons " 

do  not  approach  in  realism  and  instruct- 

iveness  the  works  of  Job,  Isaiah  or  Ezekiel. 

4.  Epic. 

The  "  Iliad  "  of  Homer,  the  "  ^neid  " 

of  Virgil,  the  "  Jerusalem  Delivered  "  of 

Tasso,  the  "  Divina  Commedia  "  of  Dante 

and  the  "  Paradise  Lost "  of  Milton  are 

the  great  epics  of  secular  literature. 

Idealized         There  is  no  verse  epic  in  the  Bible  like 

the'  ^^    these.     But  it  has  some  as  strong,   com- 

source  of  p]ete  and  intense.     It  has  none  as  long  as 
epics.        ^,  ,  11. 

these,  but  great  length  is  not  a  necessary 

essential.  Its  epics  are  not  purely  im- 
aginative, but  are  idealized  fact.  It  de- 
scribes vividly  and  narrates  impressively 
the  noble  achievements  of  real  characters. 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE,  93 

Joseph  (Gen.  37-50),  Gideon  (Judges 
6-8),  Samson  (Judges  13-16),  Ruth, 
Saul  (I.  Sam.  9-31),  Elijah  (I.  Kings, 
17;  II.  Kings  2)  and  Jonah  are  epics  as' 
truly  as  any  of  the  creative  works  above 
mentioned. 

Besides  this  the  Old  and  l^ew  Testa- 
ments are  the  sources  of  the  elements, 
facts,  sentiments,  characters,  illustrations, 
and  the  moral  and  religious  conceptions, 
vrhich  have  entered  into  the  framework  of 
the  great  modem  epics. 

5.     Prophecy. 

Prophetic  literature  is  confined  almost  Forms, 
entirely  to  the  Bible.  It  has  many  forms. 
It  may  be  either  a  bold  proclamation  of 
God's  will  as  in  Hosea  4,  a  hopeful  pre- 
diction as  in  Zechariah  14,  a  wail  of 
doom  as  in  Jeremiah  50,  51,  a  shout  of 
triumph,  as  in  Isaiah  47,  or  a  revelation 
of  the  future  as  in  Revelation  21. 

This  prophetic  literature  is  everywhere 
on  a  high  plane,  worthy  of  the  voice  of 
Jehovah  speaking  from  heaven  to  the  sons 
of  men.  It  reaches  its  highest  in  the 
rhapsodic  sweep  and  the  exultant  song,  in 
which  the  hope  in  a  golden  age  and  the 
triumph  of  God's  justice  in  the  defeat  of 
his  enemies  are  proclaimed.    The  Rhapsody 


94  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

of  the  Chaldeans  in  Habakkuk  (Hab.  2), 
the  proclamation  of  the  Day  of  the  Lord 
in  Joel  (Joel  3),  Isaiah's  Zion  Redeemed 
(Isa.  40-66),  Ezekiel's  Jerusalem  under 
Judgment  (Ezek.  8-11),  and  Jerusalem 
in  Her  Glory  (Ezek.  40-48)  are  worthy 
examples.  Here  and  there,  in  places  not 
a  few,  prophecy  reaches  grand  climaxes  be- 
yond the  power  of  words  to  describe  ade^ 
quately.  We  are  forced  to  be  silent  and 
adore. 

"  Lift  up  thine  eyes  round  about,  and  see:  tliey 
all  gather  themselves  together,  they  come  to  thee  ; 
thy  sons  shall  come  from  far,  and  thy  daughters 
shall  be  carried  in  the  arms.  Then  thou  shalt  see 
and  be  radiant,  and  thy  heart  shall  thrill  and  be 
enlarged  ;  because  the  abundance  of  the  sea  shall  be 
turned  unto  thee,  the  wealth  of  the  nations  shall 
come  unto  thee.  The  multitude  of  camels  shall 
cover  thee,  the  dromedaries  of  Midian  and  Ephah ; 
all  they  from  Sheba  shall  come  ;  they  shall  bring 
gold  and  frankincense,  and  shall  proclaim  the 
praises  of  Jehovah.  All  the  flocks  of  Kedar  shall 
be  gathered  together  unto  thee,  the  rams  of  Neba- 
ioth  shall  minister  unto  thee  ;  they  shall  come  up 
with  acceptance  on  mine  altar  ;  and  I  will  glorify 
the  house  of  my  glory.  Who  are  these  that  fly  as 
a  cloud,  and  as  the  doves  to  their  windows  ?  Surely 
the  isles  shall  wait  for  me,  and  the  ships  of  Tarshish 
first,  to  bring  thy  sons  from  far,  their  silver  and 
their  gold  with  them,  for  the  name  of  Jehovah  thy 
God,  and  for  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  because  he 
hath  glorified  thee. "    (Isa.  60 : 4-9.) 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  95 

"  And  he  showed  me  a  river  of  water  of  life, 
bright  as  crystal,  proceeding  out  of  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb,  in  the  midst  of  the  street 
thereof.  And  on  this  side  of  the  river  and  on  that 
was  the  tree  of  life,  bearing  twelve  manner  of  fruits, 
yielding  its  fruit  every  month  :  and  the  leaves  of 
the  tree  were  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  And 
there  shall  be  no  curse  any  more  :  and  the  throne  of 
God  and  of  the  Lamb  shall  be  therein  :  and  his 
servants  shall  serve  him  ;  and  they  shall  see  his 
face  ;  and  his  name  shall  be  on  their  foreheads. 
And  there  shall  be  night  no  more  ;  and  they  need 
no  light  of  lamp,  neither  light  of  sun  ;  for  the  Lord 
God  shall  give  them  light  :  and  they  shall  reign  for 
ever  and  ever."    (Rev.  22: 1-5.) 

6.     History. 

There  is  a  network  of  history  in  the 
Book.  The  doctrines  are  built  on  ribs  and 
backbone  of  fact.  The  theories  were  lived 
out  by  men  and  women.  There  has  been 
an  effort  in  certain  quarters,  in  days  now 
happily  passing,  to  minimize  the  accuracy 
of  Biblical  history.  A  different  attitude 
prevails  since  the  monuments  are  coming 
forth  to  substantiate  so  wonderfully  the 
statements  of  the  sacred  narratives. 

This  history  makes   a   most   important  Vaiurbie 
contribution  to  the  world's  knowledge.     It     "g°^  ^ 
has  an  account  of  the  laws  of  a  remarkable     served, 
nation,  which  serves  as  the  basis  for  the 
laws  of  all  civilized  nations.    The  biograph- 
ical  matter  which   is   here   has,    and   has 


96  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  TBE  BIBLE. 

had,  a  most  salutary  effect  on  men.  Here 
is  the  history  of  that  race  of  people  which 
has  heen  the  teacher  of  the  nations  in  mat- 
ters of  the  spirit,  and  here  is  the  history 
of  the  most  important  institution  of  the 
world,  the  Christian  Church.  Without  it 
little  would  he  known  concerning  the  an- 
tecedents, Founder  and  early  days  of  this 
most  influential  and  beneficent  helper  of 
mankind. 

7.     Oratory. 
Contains  Daniel  Webster  once  said  that  to  have 

elements  tee  eloquence  there  were  needed  "  the 
man,  the  subject,  and  the  occasion."  In 
the  man  the  chief  essentials  of  oratory  are 
intellectual  power,  vivid  imagination,  ener- 
getic will,  intense  convictions  and  refined 
taste.  The  subject  must  be  of  immense 
significance  and  importance.  The  occasion 
must  be  critical.  When  a  Demosthenes 
discusses  the  liberty  of  Greece,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  threatened  invasion  of  Philip  of 
Macedon,  the  world  hears  an  oration. 

The  men  of  the  Bible  are  in  no  wise  in- 
ferior in  gifts  to  the  orators  of  Europe 
and  America.  They  have  talents,  just  as 
good,  with  an  added  glow  of  great  relig- 
ious fervor.  Their  themes  are  the  highest, 
deepest,  broadest  and  weightiest  that  mind 


of  ora- 
tory. 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  97 

can  turn  over.  Their  critical  occasions  are 
as  dramatic  as  any  in  history.  When 
Moses,  after  a  leadership  of  forty  years, 
and  about  to  take  leave  of  earth  without 
entering  the  Land  of  Promise,  addresses 
his  people  as  to  their  duty,  Israel  hears  a 
pathetic  farewell  that  reaches  the  sublime 
heights  of  oratory.  The  dedication  of 
Solomon's  temple  was  one  of  the  mile- 
stones in  Jewish  history.  The  ceremony 
was  august  and  glorious.  The  Hebrew 
monarch  was  before  the  altar  of  Jehovah. 
In  that  prayer  of  praise  and  supplication 
the  assembled  hosts  listened  to  words,  than 
which  none  in  human  speech  are  more 
magnificent.  Paul  stood  in  the  court  of 
Areopagus  where  once  sounded  in  stento- 
rian tones  the  voice  of  Demosthenes.  In 
his  full  view  are  the  glories  of  Grecian 
architecture  and  sculpture.  Before  him 
he  can  see  the  temples  of  the  gods. 
Within  the  reach  of  his  words  are  those 
who  have  come  to  hear,  on  its  first  pro- 
mulgation on  European  soil,  the  gospel 
which  he  knows  will  silence  their  oracles. 
The  address  on  liars'  Hill  will,  because 
of  its  passing  excellent  presentation  of  the 
primal  truths  of  nature  and  the  funda- 
mentals of  Christianity,  in  such  majestic, 


98  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

dignified,  felicitous,  and  courageous  sen- 
tences, ever  stand  as  one  of  the  supreme 
and  immortal  achievements  of  man. 
Jesus, — who  can  rightly  characterize  his 
discourses  ?  He  is  alone  and  unapproach- 
able. Whether  it  be  in  his  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  his  denunciations,  or  his  last 
address,  there  is  power,  truth,  pathos, 
earnestness  and  sublimity  never  before 
reached,  and  never  to  be  reached  again. 
Bible  ora-  Man  is  the  apex  of  creation.  The 
summit  words  of  inspired  men  are  the  summit  of 
acw^^""  human  accomplishment.  Both  the  other 
plish-  attainments  of  man  and  impersonal  na- 
ture are  surpassed  by  them.  The  most 
glorious  architecture  in  the  world  is  found 
in  the  structure  of  literary  products. 
Nobler  is  the  structure  of  Phillips  Brooks' 
sermons  than  the  architecture  of  Trinity 
Church,  Boston.  The  grandest  color 
schemes  on  canvas  or  in  nature  fall  short 
of  the  word  pictures  of  a  genius.  Su- 
perior the  word  painting  of  Talmage  to 
the  variegated  colors  of  the  Grand  Canon. 
The  strongest  action  is  tame  beside  the 
rush  of  thought.  More  thrilling  are  the 
words  of  Lincoln  than  the  clang  of  bayo- 
nets on  Gettysburg;  the  torrent  of  Patrick 
Henry's  emotion  than  the  falling  floods  of 


CHOICEST  LITERATURE.  99 

Niagara.  The  tallest  mountains  are  low 
beside  the  poet's  vision.  More  lifting  than 
Mount  Blanc  is  the  immortal  hymn  of 
Coleridge.  Greater  than  Brooks  and 
Talmage;  greater  than  Lincoln  and 
Henry;  and  greater  than  Samuel  Taylor 
Coleridge  are  the  architects,  painters,  in- 
spirers  and  guides  of  Scripture,  and  by  so 
much  more  are  they  entrancing. 


CHAPTEE  V. 

TEEASUEES  FOE  THE  INTELLECT. 

AU  truth         The    intellect    can    admit    "  revealed " 

intellect,   knowledge.     There  is  no  schism  between 

intelligence    and    spiritual    faith.       Thev 

both  are  based  on  a  participation  in  the 

Divine  intelligence.      "  There  is  a  spirit 

in  man,  and  the  breath  of  the  Almighty 

giveth  them  understanding"  (Job  32:  8). 

The    great    moral    and    spiritual    truths 

themselves,    as   well   as   the   evidence   for 

them,  are  grasped  by  the  intellect.     But 

in  this  chapter  these  revealed  truths  will 

be  treated,  at  the  most,   indirectly.     We 

shall  call  attention  to  the  truths  and  facts 

which,  though  they  may  have  an  influence 

on  the  moral  and  spiritual  life,  provide 

both  exercise  and  food  for  the  mind. 

Not  a  The  Bible  is  not  a  treatise  on  science 

on  or  philosophy.     It  is  not  a  book  for  the 

science      intellect  chiefly.     It  is  first  of  all  a  moral 

or  philos-  ^   ^  ^ 

ophy.        and  spiritual  book.    Yet,  in  presenting  its 
moral   and  spiritual  teachings,  it  lays  a 
100 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT,  IQl 

rational  foundation  for  them.  It  shows 
the  nature  and  mutual  relations  of  the 
finite  and  infinite.  It  shows  facts  con- 
cerning God,  man  and  the  world  inci- 
dentally, or  as  illustrations,  in  making 
their  nature  and  relations  clear.  Hence  in 
no  small  way  is  it  an  intellectual  book, 
but  in  a  profoundly  important  way.  So 
important  a  book  for  the  mind  is  it,  that, 
considered  in  a  comprehensive  manner,  the 
claim  for  a  foremost  place  for  it  in  that 
line  may  be  well  defended.  Considering 
its  brevity,  and  the  multiplicity  of  sub- 
jects upon  which  it  touches,  and  their 
fundamental  character,  the  thoroughness 
and  universality  of  its  treatment  are  mar- 
velous. 

I.     The  World. 

Many    would    find    in    the    Bible,    by   Bible  is 
ingenious      interpretations,       observations     2  *^ 
which   they   claim   show   conscious   knowl-     poetic, 
edge  abreast  of  modern  science,  or  at  least,     scientific, 
anticipations   of  later   discoveries.      They 
claim,     for     example,     for    the     writers, 
knowledge  of  the  sphericity  and  rotation 
of  the  earth,  its  suspension  in  space,  the 
weight  of  the  air,  and  the  possible  use  of 
electricity.      There    are    stronger    claims 


102  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  TEE  BIBLE. 

even  than  the  foregoing  made  for  the  ac- 
curacy and  extent  of  the  Bible's  scientific 
data,  but  with  no  more  likelihood  of  ac- 
ceptance. Earnest  attempts,  for  instance, 
have  been  made  to  show  the  exact  accord 
of  geology  with  it  as  to  the  order  of  crea- 
tion given  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis. 
But  in  these,  as  in  all  other  attempts  to 
reconcile  the  statements  of  Scripture  in 
every  detail  with  the  exact  affirmations  of 
science,  effort  is  futile.  Science,  to  quote 
one  illustration,  flatly  denies  that  the 
creation  of  the  sun  followed  chronolog- 
ically the  appearance  of  vegetation  on  the 
earth. 

If  it  were  borne  in  mind,  that  the  Bible 
uses  popular  and  poetic,  and  not  strictly 
scientific,  language,  in  speaking  of  the 
facts  of  the  world,  there  would  be  on  the 
one  hand  fewer  inaccuracies  attributed  to 
it,  and  on  the  other,  fewer  remarkable 
coincidences  with  science.  We  would  not 
call  the  Scriptures  unscientific,  but  non- 
scientific.  The  writers  referred  to  the 
world  as  it  appeared  to  their  senses,  just 
as  we,  in  common  conversation,  do  to-day. 
It  had  not  entered  into  the  conception  of 
the  world  of  their  day,  nor  for  a  thousand 
and  more  years  after,  what  it  was  to  be 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT,  103 

scientific.  Their  cosmogony  was  given  in 
a  poetic  garb.  If  we  examine  the  Grenesis 
account  of  creation  carefully  we  shall  see 
that  it  is  poetical,  and  not  intended  to  be 
scientific.  The  poetic  element  is  seen  not 
only  in  the  language  and  form  of  sentence, 
but  in  the  structure  of  the  story.  There 
are  two  main  divisions,  the  first  ending 
with  the  thirteenth  verse.  In  each  divis- 
ion are  three  parts.  The  parts  of  the 
second  correspond  to  and  balance  the  parts 
of  the  first  respectively  as  follows; 

First  division.  Second  division. 


a.  Light  (vs.  1-5) Luminaries  (14-19). 

h.  Water  and  firmament  (6-8).  .  Water  and  air  ani- 
mals (20-23). 
c.  Land  (9-13) Land  animals  (24-31).i 

The  poetic  crowds  out  the  strictly  chrono- 
logical. 

Because  we  have  in  the  Bible  the  Ian-  Strictly 
guage  of  casual  observation  and  poetry,  is     oncer- 
it  to  be  passed  by  as  unworthy  of  confi-     *^J^^^ 
dence  in  so  far  as  accurate  truth  concern-     mentals, 
ing  the  world  is  concerned?     Assuredly 
not.     We  should  not  go  to  the  Bible  it  is 
true  for  our  geology,  physics,  astronomy, 
zoology  or  biology.     It  does  not   aim  to 

1  This  poetic  arrangement  was  called  to  my  attention  by 
Prof.  W.  J.  Beecher  in  his  classroom. 


104 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


teach  these.  All  references  to  these  sub- 
jects are  incidental,  and  in  no  wise  meant 
to  be  scientific,  or  beyond  the  dignified 
popular  conception  or  tradition  of  the  age. 
There  is  a  teaching,  however,  concerning 
•the  world  which  is  along  the  line  of  the 
purpose  of  the  book  and  which  is  strictly 
accurate.  It  establishes  the  relations  ex- 
isting between  the  world  and  God.  On 
these  fundamental  things,  which  is  its 
province,  the  Bible  is  final.  The  dis- 
covery of  this,  its  true  character,  will 
make  it  none  the  less  attractive. 


Creation. 


The  world 
is  the 
glory  of 
God. 


1.  The  world  was  brought  into  existence  by  God. 
"  In  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 
earth"  (Gen.  1:1);  "The  pillars  of  the  earth  are 
Jehovah's,  and  he  hath  set  the  world  upon  them  " 
(1  Sam.  2:8);  "Where  wast  thou  when  I  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  earth?"  (Job  38:4);  "Our  help 
is  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  who  made  heaven  and 
earth"  (Ps.  124:8);  "  Jehovah  by  wisdom  founded 
the  earth  ;  by  understanding  he  established  the 
heavens"  (Prov.  3:19);  "  I  am  Jehovah,  that 
maketh  all  things ;  that  stretcheth  forth  the  heavens 
alone ;  that  spreadeth  abroad  the  earth  "  (Isa.  44 :  24) ; 
"He  that  built  all  things  is  God"  (Heb.  3:4). 
The  idea  is  woven  into  the  heart  of  Scripture. 

2.  The  world  of  things,  men  and  events  was  made 
to  manifest  God.  ' '  The  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God"  (Ps.  19:1);  "All  nations  ....  shall 
come  and  glorify  thy  name "  (Ps.  86:9);  "  Glorify 
God  in  your  body,  and  in  your  spirit,  which  are 
God's"  (1  Cor.  6:20);  " This  sickness  is  ....  for 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT.  105 

the  glory  of  God  "  (John  11 : 4) ;  "  Whether  therefore 
ye  eat,  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the 
glory  of  God"  (1  Cor.  10:31);  "Neither  did  this 
man  sin,  nor  his  parents :  but  that  the  works  of  God 
should  be  made  manifest  in  him  "  (John  9:3);  "Let 
the  whole  earth  be  filled  with  his  glory "  (Ps.  72 : 
19).  The  world  expresses  the  character  and  activi- 
ties of  God. 

3.  All  things  are  sustained  by  God.  "  The  eyes  Provi- 
of  Jehovah  thy  God  are  always  upon  it,  from  the  be-  dence. 
ginning  of  the  year  even  unto  the  end  of  the  year  " 
(Deut.  11:12);  "  He  increaseth  the  nations,  and  he 
destroyeth  them"  (Job  12:23) ;"  Jehovah  is  my 
shepherd ;  I  shall  not  want "  (Ps.  23 : 1) ;  "  O  Jehovah, 
thou  preservest  man  and  beast"  (Ps.  36:6);  "He 
sendeth  forth  springs  into  the  valleys"  (Ps.  104:10). 
The  whole  of  Psalm  104  is  given  up  to  recounting 
the  power  of  God  which  is  ever  active  and  constant. 

This   teaching  refutes   that  which   sajs   The  Bible 
that  God  and  the  world  are  one.     It  also     ^^li^^, 
opposes    emphatically    the    idea    that    the     ophy. 
only  power  behind  things  is  a  blind  force. 
There  is  a  positive  note  about  it  which  is 
in  striking   contrast   to   the   agnostic's   si- 
lence.    It  is  urgent  in  putting  forth  a  per- 
sonality to  explain  the  origin,  continued 
existence  and  meaning  of  the  world;  and 
to  provide  a  reason  for  the  onward  move- 
ment of  the  whole  towards  a  moral  end. 
There  is  wide  room  for  the  exercise  of  the 
speculative  powers,  yet  at  the  same  time 
there  is  provided  the  only  successful  and 
satisfying  account  of  the  universe. 


106 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Popularly 
illus- 
trated. 


These  profound  thoughts  are  repeated, 
emphasized  and  ramified  by  illustrations 
in  popular  and  poetic  language  of  their 
truth  in  all  spheres  of  nature.  Moun- 
tains, rivers,  rocks,  clouds,  lightnings, 
rainbows,  and  stars  are  called  upon  for 
evidence.  The  plants  of  the  field,  and  the 
animals  of  the  land,  air  and  v^ater  are 
marshalled  forth  in  their  classes,  and  ac- 
cording to  their  habits,  to  prove  "  the  hand 
that  made  them  is  Divine." 


Extensive 
history. 


II.     Man. 

The  Bible  is  not  a  text-book  on  phys- 
iology, biology  or  psychology.  IN'either 
has  it  been  put  forth  by  God  as  an  outline 
of  ancient  human  history.  E'evertheless 
there  are  many  interesting  facts  and  ref- 
erences given  which  prove  to  be  enlighten- 
ing. 

The  facts  which  the  Bible  gives  about 
man,  historically  considered,  are  worth 
while.  We  have  in  another  place  noticed 
the  exhaustive  history  of  the  Jewish  race 
which  it  gives;  its  wide  range  of  refer- 
ences to  contemporary  nations  in  their 
policies,  treaties,  wars  and  downfalls;  its 
reflection  of  the  world  of  its  day.  It 
makes  besides  this,  incidental  reference  to 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT,  107 

the  history  of  early  humanity,  bridging  an 
otherwise  prehistoric  chasm,  and  filling  it 
with  credible  facts. 

There  is  a  storehouse  of  facts  concern- 
ing the  superstitions,  credulities,  hered- 
itary customs,  modes  of  thought  and 
general  character  of  men  at  various  stages 
of  man's  history.  There  is  an  implied  de- 
velopment of  the  race,  in  apprehension  of 
truth,  in  morality,  and  in  individuality. 

Quite  a  complete  treatise  on  the  struc-  Hints  on 
ture  of  man  as  a  rational  being  could  be  Jgy^ 
written  on  the  basis  of  indirect  and  in- 
cidental references  in  the  Scriptures.^  It 
would  be  a  most  attractive  study,  to  fol- 
low out  the  tripartite  doctrine  of  spirit, 
soul  and  body  found  in  the  Bible,  espe- 
cially in  the  New  Testament,  and  in  Paul's 
epistles  in  particular.  Not  in  any  formal 
way,  but  by  maxims,  proverbs,  parables 
and  appeals  it  hints  at  man  as  a  free, 
thinking,  responsible,  self-conscious  being, 
that  possesses  conscience,  soul,  spirit,  body, 
mind,  heart  and  will. 

1.     The  origin  of  man  is  treated   di-  Man's 
rectly.     The  idea  which  the  doctrine  of 
materialistic  evolution  gives  of  the  origin 
of  man  is  not  the  biblical  one.     Man  has 

»  See  Olshausen's  New  Testament  Psychology. 


108  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

not  come  by  direct  generation  from  the 
beast.  It  says  that  God  made  the  beasts 
"  after  their  kind."  It  affirms  that  "  God 
created  man  in  his  own  image."  It  leaves 
wide  room  for  the  method  and  manner  of 
creation,  but  it  never  fails  to  emphasize 
the  agency  of  God  in  every  step. 
Character.  2.  The  Bible  affords  an  appreciation 
of  human  character  keener  than  can  be 
found  anywhere.  Other  books  show  men 
in  dress  parade;  this  shows  them  in  their 
homes  and  at  their  ^vork,  where  all  ad- 
ventitious influences  are  absent.  In  other 
books  the  personal  equation  of  the  writer 
enters  in  to  palliate  weakness,  conceal 
facts,  and  exaggerate  deeds;  here  men  are 
weighed  by  the  unchanging  standards  of 
light  and  truth.  It  gives  an  abstract 
presentation  of  conduct,  and  analyzes 
motives  with  rare  discrimination.  The 
book  of  Proverbs  especially  is  rich  in 
these  incisive  views.  But  generally  the 
concrete  example  is  presented,  and  the 
effects  of  character  on  conditions  and 
conditions  on  character  are  seen;  and 
the  consequences,  which  result  from  dif- 
ferent combinations  of  moral  traits,  and 
from  various  modes  of  action  are  ascer- 
tained   to    a    practical    certainty.       The 


TREASVRES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT.  109 

patriarch  in  the  raidst  of  herdsmen  and 
traders;  Moses  and  his  associates  in  a 
period  of  nation-forming;  Gideon  in  war- 
rior times;  Solomon  in  the  courtier  life 
of  the  monarchy;  Amos  in  the  approach- 
ing disaster  of  the  nation;  Daniel  in  the 
midst  of  flattering  hypocrites  in  exile; 
Paul  surrounded  by  the  unspeakable  cor- 
ruption of  a  decaying  civilization.  It  is 
"  divine  philosophy  teaching  by  ex- 
ample." ^ 

3.  The  kinship  of  man  with  God  is  Made  in 
one  of  the  most  fruitful  thoughts  ever  age. 
given  to  the  world.  "  God  created  man 
m  his  own  image  ''  (Gen.  1 :  27).  "  Whoso 
sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his 
blood  be  shed:  for  in  the  image  of  God 
made  he  man  "  (Gen.  9:6);  "  But  there 
is  a  spirit  in  man,  and  the  breath  of  the 
Almighty  giveth  them  understanding" 
(Job  32:  8)  ;  "  The  spirit  of  man  is  the 
lamp  of  Jehovah''  (Prov.  20:27);  "He 
is  the  image  and  glory  of  God  "  (I.  Cor. 
11 :  7)  ;  "  Who  are  made  after  the  likeness 
of  God"  (James  3:9).  Being  made  in 
the  image  of  God  suggests  that  man  has 
self-knowledge  and  the  power  of  self- 
direction;  can  discern  right  from  wrong; 

»  See  C.  E,  Stowe  in  The  Teachers'  Indicator,  pp.  157-159. 


110  '^HE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

can  commune  with  God;  and  above  all  can 
work  for  the  same  ends  for  which  God 
works.  He  can  be  an  imitator  of  God 
(Eph.  5:1),  which  does  not  mean  a  par- 
rot-like follower,  but  a  living,  conscious 
worker  for  the  same  ideal. 

The  Bible  teaches  that  the  self-centered 
life  is  suicidal.  To  find  the  true  life,  the 
abundant  life,  one  must  lose  his  life.  He 
must  live,  not  as  apart  from  the  world, 
but  as  a  part  of  it.  He  must  make  God 
his  dwelling  place.  He  must  see  that  the 
"  will  of  God  "  is  the  law  to  follow  if  his 
life  will  attain  its  fullest  development. 
He  must  learn  that  true  freedom  is  his 
will  following  the  "will  of  God."  And 
that  he  may  have  the  matter  more  con- 
cretely set  before  him  he  is  persuaded  to 
live  in  Christ. 
Man  a  4.     The  life  that  is  in  God  is  social, 

social  be-  -y^^^  made  in  the  image  of  God  is  ex- 
pected to  be  social.  Worship ;  the  recipro- 
cal duties  of  the  home;  the  principles 
which  should  underlie  the  community,  city 
and  state;  the  character  and  obligations  of 
rulers,  judges,  merchants,  etc. ;  the  ques- 
tions of  charity,  industry,  marriage,  etc., 
all  receive  vital  treatment. 


vag. 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT,  m 

III.      God. 

The  Bible  nowhere  proves  that  God  ex- 
ists; it  assumes  his  existence.  It  takes 
that  for  granted  which  is  the  only  con- 
gruous explanation  of  our  mental  and 
moral  natures,  and  of  the  material  world, 
— -a  First  Cause,  intelligent,  personal, 
infinite  and  perfect.  It  takes  for  granted 
the  existence  of  a  supernatural  order. 

1.  The  fact  of  a  revelation  of  God  is  God  has 
insisted  on  from  first  to  last.  The  claim  Himself, 
is  made  and  maintained  throughout  that 
God  has  manifested  himself  in  the  physi- 
cal universe;  in  man's  constitution  and 
through  his  '^  inward  parts  "  ;  in  the  events 
and  trend  of  history;  and  in  a  special 
way  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  revelation  can 
be  seen  by  the  natural  mind,  but  perceived 
more  fully  by  the  spiritually  minded. 

Professor  A.  B.  Davidson,  makes  this  The  world 

a  mani- 

distinction  between  Greek  and  Hebrew  festation 
philosophy:  the  Greeks  aimed  at  discover- 
ing God  in  nature ;  the  Hebrews  aimed  at 
recognizing  him  whom  they  knew.^  To 
the  Hebrew  the  world  was  an  instrument 
by  which  God  communicated  himself.  It 
was  the  expression  of  the  character  of 
God.    "  l^ature  red  in  tooth  and  claw  "  is 

^  Biblical  and  Literary  Essays,  p.  SO. 


of  God. 


112  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

not  biblical.  Love  and  sacrifice,  and  not 
selfishness,  impurity,  malevolence  and 
hatred,  are  the  primal  laws  of  the  world. 
Everywhere  justice  is  triumphant.  The 
law  that  sin  works  out  death;  that 
wrong  is  not  triumphant ;  that  the  ways  of 
the  good  and  the  bad  are  not  equal  is  not 
confined  to  any  race,  time,  clime  or  sphere. 
The  world  does  not  promise  what  it  does 
not  give.  Men  may  imagine  promises, 
and  they  may  not  be  fulfilled.  But  the 
world  and  our  faculties,  when  in  their 
normal  condition,  working  in  conjunction 
with  our  reason,  give  us  the  truth.  There 
is  no  caprice  in  the  laws  of  the  world.  The 
world  can  be  relied  upon  to  bring  forth 
spring-time  and  harvest  in  their  seasons. 
The  love,  justice,  veracity,  constancy  and 
holiness  of  God  w^ere  evident  to  the 
Hebrew  in  his  creation.  Redemption 
after  disintegration  w^as  another  universal 
process  of  the  world  which  revealed  him. 
His  wisdom  and  power  were  seen  on  every 
hand.  And  not  in  the  physical  universe 
alone,  but  in  every  sphere,  his  character 
was  expressed.  Even  life  and  freedom 
are  manifestations  of  him.  All  this  the 
Bible  contends  for  and  yet  stops  short  of 
pantheism.     "  In  him  we  live,  and  move, 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT.  HJ 

and  have  our  being."  (Acts  17:28.) 
"  The  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory." 
(Isa.  6:3.)  God  is  immanent  in  the 
world,  yet  the  world  does  not  constitute 
God. 

2.  The  Scriptures  mark  three  dis-  He  is  re- 
tinctions  in  the  being  of  God, — ^Father,  Trinity 
Son,   and  Spirit.     Each  is  spoken  of  as     ^^^^" 

,  man 

God.     "  Him  the  Father,  even  God,  hath     society, 
sealed"  (John  6:27).     "The  great  God 
and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  "  ( Titus  2 : 
13).     "  Satan  filled  thy  heart  to  lie  to  the 

Holy  Spirit, thou  hast  not  lied  unto 

men,  but  unto  God"  (Acts  5:3,4). 
These  distinctions  are  eternal.  The  Son 
was  "  in  the  beginning  "  with  the  Father. 
The  Spirit  was  brooding  upon  the  face 
of  the  waters.  The  three  are  equal. 
Officially,  the  Father  is  first,  the  Son, 
second,  and  the  Spirit,  third;  but  there  is 
no  inferiority  of  one  compared  with  the 
others.  "  We  do  not  say  that  one  God  is 
three  Gods,  nor  that  one  person  is  three 
persons,  nor  that  three  Gods  are  one  God, 
but  only  that  there  is  one  God  with  three 
distinctions  in  his  being."  ^  The  Father 
is  the  authorizing  power,  the  Son,  the 
obeying  power,  and  the  Spirit,  the  realiz- 
ing power.     Or,  as  Phillips  Brooks  put  it, 

*  strong,  Systematic  Theology,  p.  168. 


114  ^^^  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

the  Father  is  end,  the  Son,  method,  the 
Spirit,  power.  Here  is  a  rich,  wonder- 
fully rich,  vein  of  thought  which  may  be 
followed  to  wide  limits.  Pursuing  the 
line  of  thought  of  the  preceding  paragraph, 
the  Bible  would  have  men  recognize  God 
everywhere.  This  suggests  that  we  look 
for  him  in  society.  What  are  the  basal 
principles  of  society?  Authority,  Obe- 
dience, Eealization — End,  Method,  Power. 
In  government  we  discover  the  judicial, 
legislative  and  executive  departments.  In 
the  family,  church,  city,  and  state  there 
are  these  three  functions.  The  social  life 
of  man  manifests  the  social  life  in  God. 
The  Fatherhood,  sonhood  and  spirithood 
of  God  run  through  humanity.  The 
Trinity  is  stamped  on  the  world. 
Bible^  _  ^*     ^^^  problems  of  thought  with  which 

the  men  of  the  Bible  wrestled  belonged  to 
one  general  class.  They  endeavored  to 
show  how  certain  things,  apparently  in- 
consistent with  the  character  of  God,  can 
be  reconciled  with  his  goodness.  They  at- 
tempt to  interpret  those  things  in  such  a 
way  that  the  mind  may  find  peace  in  their 
presence.  The  three  chief  discussions  are 
the  following: 


problems. 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT.  115 

(1)  The  prosperity  of  the  wicked 
(Psalms  17,  37,  39,  49  and  73). 

(2)  The  calamity  of  the  just.  The 
entire  book  of  Job  is  given  to  it. 

(3)  How  to  be  happy  in  this  life. 
The  book  of  Ecclesiastes  devotes  itself  to 
this. 

4.     The  fact  of  a  Divine  Power  in  the   ^f  ^^J^* 

towards 

universe  "  which  makes  for  righteous-  an  end. 
ness,"  is  pointed  out  to  the  intelligent. 
The  Scriptures  call  attention  to  one  who 
applies  a  balm  to  the  heart  of  oppressed 
virtue ;  who  carries  the  yoke  with  the  mis- 
understood and  oppressed  benefactor;  who 
puts  new  life  into  those  crushed  by  the 
heel  of  tyranny;  who  turns  into  defeat 
the  apparent  triumph  of  evil-doers. 
"  Jehovah  upholdeth  all  that  fall,  and 
raiseth  up  all  those  that  are  bowed  down  " 
(Ps.  145);  "And  the  loftiness  of  man 
shall  be  bowed  down,  and  the  haughtiness 
of  men  shall  be  brought  low "  (Isa. 
2:17);  "God  resisteth  the  proud,  but 
giveth  grace  to  the  humble'^  (Jas.  4:  6). 
There  is  a  Strength  for  men  which  comes 
to  aid  them  where  their  strength  ends,  and 
which  carries  their  good  deeds  to  a  more 
glorious  issue. 

All   these  truths   and   more  the   Bible 


116  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

The  in-       supplies  as  food  to  the  mind.    At  the  open- 

tsllSCt  S         ^  /•IT  '  1 

gym-  mg  of  the  chapter  we  said  that  it  pro- 
nasium.  yj^jg^j  exercise  as  well  as  food.  So  it  does. 
Besides  giving  truth,  it  gives  strength  and 
steadiness.  It  strengthens  the  imagina- 
tion. Almost  one-half  of  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  are  poetry  and  a  large  part 
of  the  rest  are  poetical  in  spirit.  The  al- 
lusions and  suggestions,  which  are  con- 
stantly made,  force  the  reader  into  wide 
fields,  which,  of  course,  will  develop  him. 
Often  there  must  be  a  struggle  to  grasp 
the  meaning,  because  it  is  not  all  tropics 
with  fruits  ready  to  pick  and  eat;  much 
of  it  belongs  to  other  zones  and  yield  only 
by  "  the  sweat  of  the  face."  It  calls  for 
search,  thought  and  judgment.  When 
sympathetically  laid  hold  of  it  has  power 
to  enlighten  the  mind  with  a  peculiar 
quickening  and  exhilaration.  Always  on 
a  level  of  high  thinking,  it  never  descends 
to  the  vain  and  imbecile,  but  wins  respect, 
and  appeals  to  the  best  intelligence  with  a 
challenge.^ 
The  Bible  From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  how 
"  isms."  satisfactory  the  Bible  is  to  the  mind  com- 
pared with  the  "  isms "  of  the  world. 
Atheism  is  contradicted  by  the  direct  cer- 

1  See  Stowe,  op.  cit.  pp.  167-169. 


TREASURES  FOR  THE  INTELLECT.  117 

tainty  of  God  existing  in  the  mind;  ma- 
terialism by  the  separation  of  soul  and 
body;  pantheism  by  personality;  deism  by 
providence;  rationalism  by  miracles;  pes- 
simism by  hope;  agnosticism  by  positive 
affirmations;  positivism  by  man's  need  of 
the  spiritual.  It  is  firm  in  its  opposition 
to  the  Buddhistic  ideas  of  theosophy. 
Against  the  vapid  views  of  Christian  Sci- 
ence it  affirms  the  believability  of  the 
senses,  the  actuality  of  matter,  the  value 
of  medicine,  the  fact  of  sin,  the  personal- 
ity of  God  and  the  reality  of  redemption. 
It  has  the  modicum  of  truth  in  all  the 
"  isms,"  which  have  any  worth,  without 
their  error  and  extremes.  Its  complete- 
ness and  consistency  of  thought  are  a  rest 
to  the  mind. 


in  US. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

PEEELESS  MOEAL  GUIDANCE. 

Shows  how       j^  ^jjg  records  of  ancient  times  which 

to  mani- 
fest God     the  Bible  gives,  and  especially  in  the  story 

of  Israel's  experiences,  we  have  three 
things  along  the  line  of  morals  made  plain. 
First,  God  desires  to  be  revealed  in  the 
life  of  men.  Secondly,  it  is  possible  for 
man  to  reveal  God  and  in  so  doing  to  at- 
tain to  a  remarkable  degree  of  moral  per- 
fection. And,  thirdly,  the  principles 
which  will  guide  man  to  this  end  are  given 
in  the  Scriptures  and  conscience. 

These  records  and  moral  teachings  may 
not  be  attractive  in  some  ways  to  the  trans- 
gressor, yet,  secretly,  he  admires  them  and 
will  scorn  any  less  moral.  The  seeker 
after  righteousness  finds  in  the  Word,  a 
lamp  unto  his  feet  and  light  unto  his  path 
(Ps.  119:105). 

L     Contents  which  Baise  Questions. 

Many  devoted  lovers  of  the  Book  are 
troubled  by  certain  statements  in  it.    They 
118 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE.  119 

cauoe  them  dismay.  They  are  filled  with 
confusion  when  they  cannot  answer  the 
scoff  of  enemies.  They  sometimes  wish 
those  features  were  not  there. 

They  question  certain  narratives  which 
to  them  seem  revolting. 

1.  The  extermination  which  is  said  to  Wars  of 
have  been  prosecuted  at  the  command  of  ^*^^; 
Jehovah  shocks  them:  such,  for  instance,     tion, said 

•  1         A        11.  to  have 

as  the  expedition  against  the  Amalekites     been  or- 
undertaken   by    Saul   under   the    auspices     ^Mthe 
of  Samuel  (1  Sam.  15),  and  the  slaughter     immoral- 
of  fifty  thousand  men  of  Bethshemesh  who     erated. 
looked   into   the    ark.      They    dislike   the 
sins,  which  are  said  to  have  been  tolerated 
in  Israel  as  a  nation.     Blood  revenge  was 
practised.     "  But  if  any  harm  follow,  then 
thou  shalt  give  life  for  life,  eye  for  eye, 
tooth  for  tooth,  hand  for  hand,  foot  for 
foot,    burning    for    burning,    wound    for 
wound,   stripe  for  stripe  "    (Ex.   21 :  23- 
25).       Polygamy    was    indulged    in    by 
Lamech,  Abraham,  Esau,  Jacob,  Gideon, 
David,  Solomon  and  others.     It  was  toler- 
ated by  the  law  apparently,  as  intimated 
in  Ex.  21:10;  1  Sam.  1:2;  and  2  Chr. 
24 :  3.    Easy  divorce  seems  to  have  been  a 
general   thing    and    allowed    by   the   law 
(Deut.  21:14). 


120  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

iimnorai-         2.     Another  matter  whicli  creates  con- 

ities  of 

heroes,      stemation  is  the  hero-worship  rendered  to 

men  who  have  grave  imperfections.  Noah 
was  so  stupefied  with  wine  that  he  was 
beastly,  yet  it  is  said  of  him,  "  JSToah  was  a 
righteous  man,  and  perfect  in  his  genera- 
tions: ISToah  walked  with  God"  (Gen. 
6:9).  Lot  became  drunk,  and  was  guilty 
of  incest,  yet  we  are  told  that  God  "  de- 
livered righteous  Lot"  (2  Pet.  2:7). 
Jacob,  crafty,  cunning,  practising  selfish 
strategy,  mercenary,  and  servile,  is  yet 
represented  as  a  favorite  of  heaven;  and 
his  name,  changed  to  Israel,  was  given  to 
a  nation.  Jael,  treacherously  and  brutally 
ending  Sisera's  life,  having  invited  him  to 
partake  of  her  hospitality,  is  eulogized  by 
Deborah  the  prophetess.  "  Blessed  above 
women  shall  Jael  be"  (Judg.  5:24). 
Samson,  leader  of  massacres  and  victim  of 
amorous  passions,  is  given  a  place  in  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews  with  Abra- 
ham and  Moses.  David  lied,  feigned 
idiocy,  practised  polygamy,  seduced  Bath- 
sheba,  and  murdered  her  husband  Uriah, 
yet  he  is  called  by  God,  "  a  man  after  my 
heart"  (Acts  13:22). 
Impreca.  3^     ^  \h\xdi  feature  of  Scripture  which 

tious.  .  . 

causes  surprise  to  many,  and  gives  a  chance 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE,  121 

for  caviling  to  others,  is  the  imprecatory 
passages.  These  are  found  in  Psalms  1, 
35,  58,  69,  109,  137,  139,  149  and  others. 
There  are  also  passages  outside  of  the 
Psalms,  for  example.  Lam.  3:  Q4^%%,  and 
Jer.  15  :15.  In  these  passages  are  found 
what,  on  the  surface  at  least,  seems  to  be 
personal  animosity,  sinful  rage,  blasting 
curses  and  inhuman  wishes  that  the  ene- 
my's life  be  cut  short,  his  prayers  be  un- 
answered, and  his  end  be  destruction. 

What  can  be  said  to  these  things  ?  What 
relief  can  be  extended  to  the  one  who  is 
dismayed  and  whose  mouth  is  stopped  ?  I 
call  special  attention  to  the  following 
quotations  as  affording  an  admirable  sum- 
ming up  of  biblical  morality. 

Principal  Ottley,  calling  attention  to  Must  make 
three  kinds  of  morality  in  Scripture,  says, 
"  The  morality  of  the  Old  Testament  is  a 
phrase  to  be  used  with  discrimination. 
There  is  the  morality  which  God  tolerates 
as  the  best  that  can  be  attained  under  the 
conditions  and  circumstances  of  those  with 
whom  he  is  dealing.  There  is  the  morality 
which  he  approves  and  delights  in  because 
it  rises  above  the  average  level  of  the  age 
in  which  it  appears.  There  is  the  morality 
at  which  he   aims, — the   final  or  perfect 


distinc- 
tions. 


122  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

morality  whicli  is  disclosed  in  the  spotless 
life  of  Jesus  Christ/'  He  further  goes 
on  to  show  that  the  morality,  which  was 
hateful  to  God,  was  that  which  showed 
retrogression  of  any  kind.^ 

Professor  J.  F.  McCurdy,  in  an  article 
on  the  subject,  writes,  ^^  We  must  dis- 
tinguish between  practises  which  are  wrong 
in  themselves  and  those  which  were  (or 
are)  permissible  under  certain  conditions, 
but  are  normally  reprehensible.  The  latter 
class  fall  under  the  head  of  social  institu- 
tions which  along  with  the  approving  senti- 
ments of  the  community  are  gradually 
eliminated  by  the  Christianizing  and  hu- 
manizing of  society.  Of  the  former  we 
may  say  that  they  were  wrong  from  the  be- 
ginning. Thus  it  will  be  generally  agreed 
that  it  was  always  wrong  to  lie,  steal,  cheat, 
murder."  ^ 

Professor  George  R.  Berry,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  tolerated  sins,  says,  "  This  toler- 
ance was  no  compromise  with  sin.  The 
Old  Testament  was  not  designed  to  be  a 
comprehensive  and  complete  manual  of 
ethics.  The  Bible  was  rather  given  as  an 
aid  in  the  moral  training  of  the  Hebrew 

»  Aspects  of  the  Old  Testament,  p.  491. 
'  Bib.  World,  vol.  33,  p.  409. 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE,  123 

nation.  It  gives  a  general  moral  training 
rather  than  specific  moral  commands  for 
those  evils  which  general  training  gradu- 
ally and  more  effectively  removes  than 
specific  commands  would."  ^ 

If  we  bear   these  thinsrs  in  mind  the  Expiana- 

.  .  tion. 

moral  difUculties  will  be  less   disturbing. 

The  facts  will  then  appear  in  their  true 
light.  They  are  the  weaknesses  and  faults 
of  men,  sometimes  of  men  the  main  trend 
of  whose  lives  was  godly.  These  faults  are 
not  approved  by  the  Bible;  they  are  some- 
times allowed,  but  not  supported  by  God; 
they  are  later  condemned  by  other  parts 
of  the  book,  and  by  the  Bible  as  a  whole. 

Regarded  thus,  these  features  appear  in 
order  that  the  world  might  know  that 
Israel's  men  obeyed  God  in  spite  of  awful 
temptations;  that  the  human  soul  has  be- 
fore it  possibilities  of  awful  sin  and  deg- 
radation; that  the  development  of  a  man 
and  of  a  race  morally  is  a  long  process; 
that  the  Heavenly  Father  is  fuU  of  pa- 
tience, pity  and  pardon.  ^ 

The  imperfections  of  heroes  are  not  ap- 
proved by  the  Bible,  even  if  it  be  silent  in 
regard  to  many  of  them.    As  a  matter  of 

»  Bib.  World,  vol.  21,  p.  203. 

'  See  G.  F.  Herrick  in  Bib.  Sac.^  vol.  42,  pp.  flOl  flf. 


124:  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

fact,  the  sins  of  the  Old  Testament  worth- 
ies were  punished.  The  praise  bestowed 
upon  them,  and  the  place  of  honor  given  to 
them,  were  granted,  not  because  their  faults 
were  overlooked,  but  because  they  were 
judged  by  the  general  trend  of  their  lives 
and  by  their  privileges.  And  further,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  men  of  those 
days  must  be  weighed,  bearing  in  mind  that 
they  were  immature  compared  with  the 
Christian  standard.  Their  measure  of 
light  was  limited  by  their  ability  to  see. 

In  regard  to  the  accounts  which  attrib- 
ute to  God  commands  to  exterminate 
armies  and  peoples,  there  is  this  much  at 
least  to  be  said.  God  raises  and  lays  low. 
By  laws  which  he  has  planted  in  the  con- 
stitution of  things  the  degenerate  nation 
falls  into  dissolution  before  the  advance  of 
the  nations  which  walk  in  his  ways.  His 
purpose  of  progress  cannot  be  thwarted 
with  impunity.  But  having  said  this,  we 
affirm  our  belief  that  God  never  asked  a 
conquering  nation  to  commit  horrible  atroc- 
ities, either  in  general  or  detail,  and  never 
approved  of  cruel  passions.  The  partici- 
pants in  such  repulsive  actions  may  have 
supposed  that  they  had  the  sanction  of  God, 
— indeed,  we  find  the  early  Hebrews  some- 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE.  125 

times  referring  evil  directly  to  God, — but 
we  cannot  believe  that  he  ever  tempted 
man  to  be  inhuman.  Taking  this  view, 
these  features  will  not  make  the  moral 
teachings  of  the  Bible  unattractive. 

The  moral  teachings  of  the  Bible  are  not 
marred  by  the  imprecatory  passages. 
Bible  ethics  as  a  whole,  and  especially  the 
ethics  of  the  ISTew  Testament,  condemn 
their  sentiments.  It  may  be  granted  that 
they  do  not  express  a  purely  personal 
spirit,  but  are  the  attitude  toward  evil  men 
taken  by  persons  who  identified  themselves 
with  God's  interests.^  Yet  under  this 
most  favorable  view  they  are  the  product 
of  men  whom  the  Scriptures  can  justify 
only  for  their  zeal,  and  can  but  condemn 
for  their  bitterness.  Whatever  interpreta- 
tion may  be  given  to  these  passages,  the 
Bible  frees  God  from  the  accusation  of  in- 
spiring sentiments  of  hatred  and  vengeance 
in  men  against  their  fellow  men.  The  pas- 
sages force  upon  us  the  duty  of  differenti- 
ating, as  Archdeacon  Hessey  says,  "  be- 
tween righteous  anger  against  vice  and 
wickedness  and  unchastened  anger,  which 
leads  men  to  pray  for  or  take  in  hand  re- 
quital on  their  personal  oppressors." 

» W.  T.    Davison,  Hastings'    Dictionary  of  the  Bible, 
Psalms  "  vi.  5. 


126 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


There  is  no  moral  teaching  in  the  Scrip- 
tures,  nor  is  there  any  narrative,  which 
need  create  a  demand  for  "  an  expurgated 
hook,  such  as  Ulphilas  gave  to  the  warlike 
Goths,"  when  he  omitted  the  records  of  the 
Jewish  wars.  Our  Bible  is  a  better  teacher 
of  morals  because  there  is  in  it  no  trace  of 
dilettanteism. 


Conscience 
presup- 


Insuf- 
ficiency 
of  arti- 
ficial 
systems 
of 
morals. 


II.     Supremacy  as  Moral  Guide, 

In  considering  any  guide  for  moral 
life  we  must  presuppose  conscience  and 
the  moral  intuitions.  These  are  not  sup- 
planted by  any  guide.  They  may  be  en- 
lightened, and  need  to  be,  but  their  au- 
thority must  not  be  nullified.  Their  as- 
sent is  necessary  before  any  action  can  be 
moral. 

Men  everywhere  have  recognized  that 
the  average  man,  if  not  every  man,  needs 
outside  guidance,  in  order  that  his  steps 
may  be  led  aright.  Superior  men  have 
endeavored  to  render  this  assistance  to 
their  less  fortunate  fellows,  and  have 
therefore  framed  systems  of  morals  for 
their  benefit.  But  all  these  systems  have 
proved  inadequate,  '^o  mere  man  can  be 
sympathetic  enough,  universal  enough,  and 
impartial    enough    to    provide    a    system, 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE.  127 

equally  fitted  for  all,  as  far  as  the  control 
of  their  outward  actions  is  concerned. 
And  much  less  can  a  human  being  provide 
a  system  that  can  adapt  itself  to  every  age. 
And  to  invent  a  system  that  will  help  make 
a  man  moral  within,  as  well  as  without,  to 
man  is  impossible.  Rules  for  the  outward 
life  are  helpful,  maxims  are  useful;  but 
no  Epictetus  or  Marcus  Aurelius  is  suf- 
ficient for  this  thing. 

Men  have   sometimes  thought  that  the   light  of 
T   1         /.  .  -1  1        T         •   1         nature 

light  of  nature  is  guide  enough,     it  might     not 

be  helpful  to  a  few  rare  souls  to  a  great  ®^o^&h 
degree.  Their  own  finer  feelings  and  sen- 
timents might  speak  to  them  of  the  good, 
the  true  and  the  beautiful.  The  great 
world  without  might  breathe  of  justice, 
love,  veracity,  constancy,  beauty  and  peace. 
But  it  has  no  message  of  an  atoning  God, 
who  redeems,  who  strengthens,  and  who 
saves.  And  to  the  mass  of  humanity,  with- 
out any  other  help,  their  own  heart-beats 
would  be  deafening,  in  what  would  be  to 
them  a  mute  and  silent  world.  ^ 

The  best  guide  is  God's  Word,  and  for 
the  following  reasons : 

1.     The  morality  of  the  Bible  is  re- 
ligious.    The  apparently  external  had  an 

»  See  B.  B.  Edwards  in  Bih.  Sac,  vol.  3,  pp.  22  fl. 


128  ^^^  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Bible  mo-     inner    sisrnificance.      It   begins    with    the 

rality  re-  .  °  ® 

Ugious  springs  of  conduct,  and  supplies  motives, 
stimuiat-  affections  and  knowledge,  which  at  once 
i»g'  enable  a  man  to  become  pure  within,  and 

consequently  without.  There  are  secondary 
motives  often  offered,  it  is  true,  such  as 
happiness,  the  hope  of  reward,  and  the  fear 
of  punishment ;  and  these  have  their  place. 
But  the  fundamental  motive,  and  the  most 
ennobling  and  impelling  ever  given  to  the 
world,  is  the  manifestation  of  God  by  men. 
"  Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of 
God"  (1  Cor.  10:31);  ...  .  "that  in 
all  things  God  may  be  glorified  ....'' 
(1  Pet.  4:  11).  Objects  of  supreme  worth 
are  presented  in  men ;  in  the  world  of  na- 
ture ;  in  truth ;  in  good  character ;  and  in 
God  as  revealed  everywhere,  but  especially 
in  Jesus  Christ.  The  mind  is  purified, 
invigorated,  and  furnished  with  appropri- 
ate knowledge. 

It  gives  a         2.     By  the  commands  and  exhortations 
balanced  *^ 

Hfe.  of  the  Word  a  balanced  life  is  ordered. 

Personality  is  not  destroyed.  The  idiosyn- 
crasies, natural  to  the  individual,  may  be 
allowed.  Yet  where  disorder  prevails; 
where  there  is  an  excess  of  one-sidedness ; 
where  there  is  a  smothering  of  some  power 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE.  129 

or  virtue,  there  harmony  is  insisted  upon. 
The  end  in  view  is  a  well-rounded  life,  a 
full  realization  of  the  rich  life,  by  having 
every  normal  faculty  at  its  best,  and  doing 
its  utmost.     This  is  living  unto  God. 

3.  The  prohibitions  of  the  Bible,   as  ProMbi- 
are  its  commands,  are  universal  in  their     sp°ect^*" 
character.     There  may  be  a  special  appli-     freedom, 
cation,   yet   there  is   embodied   a  general 
principle.    In  this  way  the  freedom  of  the 
individual  is  not  violated,  his  will  is  not 
crushed.      His    conscience    is    quickened, 

and  his  judgment  exercised.  And  the  pro- 
hibitions, too,  begin  with  the  inner  life. 
They  go  behind  the  overt  act,  behind  even 
the  half-formed  desire,  to  the  very  first 
tendency  to  evil  in  the  heartw  Wavering 
is  wrong.  Hesitation  even  is  sin  (Matt. 
5:28). 

4.  The  vision  of  the  main  purpose  of  A  perfect 
life,  of  the  life  which  obedience  to  that  pur-       ^^^^  ®' 
pose  creates  and  of  the  life  inconsistent 

with  that  purpose,  is  further  strengthened 
by  an  example  of  perfect  life  in  Jesus 
Christ,  which  forever  stimulates,  steadies 
and  lures  onward.  In  him  the  world  has 
a  standard  of  conscience  which  can  never 
become  obsolete. 


130  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

III.     Wide  Range  of  Duties, 

1.  We  may  notice  first,  man's  duties 
to  the  world,  and  especially  the  world  of 
men. 

Man's  duties  to  man  are  based  upon  the 
character  of  God.  "  I  am  Jehovah  "  fur- 
nishes a  reason  for  perfect  society.  If 
God  is  to  be  manifested  by  man  socially, 
man  must  live  righteously  in  his  so- 
cial relations.  Hence  the  exhortations  of 
the  Bible  to  refrain  from  the  great  sins 
against  society — murder,  robbery,  bribery, 
cruelty,  drunkenness,  obstinacy,  conceit, 
lying,  malice,  oppression,  dishonesty,  in- 
discrimination in  dealing  out  justice,  and 
lack  of  sympathy. 

In  the  The  prophets  are  the  great  teachers  of 

altruism.  Their  ideal  was  a  glorious  com- 
munity in  which  the  law  would  be  service. 
In  them  brotherly-kindness,  equality  of  op- 
portunity and  sympathy  for  the  weak  first 
find  voices.  From  the  sermons  of  Isaiah, 
Hosea,  Joel,  Amos  and  Micah  there  could 
be  compiled,  and  that  by  mere  quotation,  a 
quite  complete  manual  of  social  ethics. 

In  Prov-  The  book  of  Proverbs  covers  a  very  wide 

®^^^'        field  too.    If  one  were  to  take  it,  pencil  in 

hand,  and  read  it  through,  and  mark  the 

things  one  should  avoid,  he  might  have  a 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE.  131 

list  as  follows :  anger,  breach  of  confidence, 
contention,  deeds  of  violence,  disdainful- 
ness, dissimulation,  evil  machinations, 
flattery,  greed,  hatred,  indolence,  ingrati- 
tude, jealousy,  land-stealing,  lying,  op- 
pression of  the  poor,  revenge,  slander  and 
treachery.  Then  if  one  should  read  again, 
and  mark  what  things  to  cherish,  he  would 
have  such  a  list  as  this:  charity  towards 
another's  faults,  considerateness,  courage 
in  delivering  the  innocent,  fidelity  in 
friendship,  helpfulness,  justice,  kind  words, 
kindness  toward  an  enemy,  liberality,  love, 
mercy,  tact  in  speaking,  uprightness,  and 
wisdom  in  treating  with  a  foolish  person. ■•• 

The   Epistles   of   the   ISTew    Testament  In  the 
abound  in  practical  suggestions  on  the  sub-       ^^^ 
ject  of  duty  to  one  another.     It  is  Paul's 
habit  to  indoctrinate  first,  and  then  apply 
his  truth  to  life.     The  latter  part  of  his 
letters  are  always  given  up  to  precepts. 

The  Bible  is  not  silent  on  the  matter  of  Political 
political  morality.  The  men  who  wrote  it 
were  too  close  to  public  affairs  not  to  have 
politics  referred  to  in  their  writings. 
Israel  as  a  nation  was  compelled  to  work 
out  the  problems  of  national  morality,  and 
the  solution  of  those  problems  are  given 

»  See  Charles  F.  Kent  in  Bih.  World,  vol.  3,  pp.  198  flf. 


132  I'SE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

to  us.  It  would  not  be  expected,  of  course, 
that  here  we  could  find  page  and  verse  to 
solve  all  the  questions  in  detail,  which 
arise  in  our  modern  complex  political  life. 
What  we  do  find  are  the  broad  principles 
upon  which  national  stability  and  progress 
depend.  ISTational  weal  or  woe  depends 
on  the  well  or  ill-doing  of  the  individual 
citizens.  Nations,  as  well  as  individuals, 
are  included  under  the  inviolable  law  of 
duty  and  retribution.  Eulers,  judges  and 
magistrates  are  responsible  to  God  and 
man.  A  country's  well-being  consists  in 
justice,  righteousness  and  reverence  to 
God.  Better  that  the  nation  perish  than 
that  the  citizens  be  disloyal  to  God  and 
duty.  The  history  of  Jehovah's  words  to 
the  kings  of  Israel  by  the  prophets,  and 
his  dealings  with  them;  the  warnings  of 
the  prophets  to  the  inhabitants  of  Israel 
and  Judah ;  and  the  doom  of  the  disobedi- 
ent nations  all  teach  these  things.  Exam- 
ples of  the  teachings  may  be  found  in  Jer. 
8:18-9:16;  32:16-35;  Amos  1-2.^ 
Economic         Economic  rights  and  duties  receive  much 

morality.  ,  , 

notice.     Many  of  their  economic  laws  no 

doubt  were  adapted  to  their  peculiar  man- 
ner of  life,  and  to  that  stage  of  civilization, 

»  See  J.  F.  McCurdy,  Bib.  World,  vol.  24,  pp.  17, 18. 


PEERLESS  MORAL  GUIDANCE,  133 

and  might  not  be  suitable  under  different 
conditions  and  circumstances  to-daj.  Yet 
the  underlying  principles  are  eternal  and 
unchangeable.  Quotations  might  be  multi- 
plied, but  I  shall  make  but  a  few.  A  man 
has  a  right  to  the  reward  of  his  labor. 
"  The  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire '' 
(1  Tim.  5  :  18).  The  wages  should  be  ade- 
quate. ^^  Masters,  render  unto  your  serv- 
ants that  which  is  just  and  equal"  (Col. 
4:1).  Cheating  in  trade  is  forbidden. 
"  The  getting  of  treasures  by  a  lying  tongue 
is  a  vapor  driven  to  and  fro  by  them  that 
seek  death"  (Prov.  21:  6).  Men  are  not 
absolute  owners  of  land  or  beasts,  but  users. 
"  The  earth  is  Jehovah's,  and  the  fulness 
thereof"  (Ps.  24:1);  ''For  every  beast 
of  the  forest  is  mine.  And  the  cattle  upon 
a  thousand  hills"  (Ps.  50:10).  There 
should  be  a  limitation  of  monopoly.  "  Woe 
unto  them  that  join  house  to  house,  that 
lay  field  to  field,  till  there  be  no  room,  and 
ye  be  made  to  dwell  alone  in  the  midst  of 
the  land!"  (Isa.  5:8).  ITo  man  should 
be  forced  into  a  condition  of  poverty. 
"  What  mean  ye  that  ye  crush  my  people, 
and  grind  the  face  of  the  poor?  saith  the 
Lord,  Jehovah  of  hosts"  (Isa.  3:15). 
2.     The  duties  of  a  person  to  himself 


134:  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

Duty  to  are  mentioned,  not  so  much  directly  as  in- 
directly. There  is  a  constant  undertone 
which  repeats  over  and  over  "  What  shall 
a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  life  ?  " 
Care  for  the  body  and  all  the  faculties  of 
mind  and  heart  is  enjoined.  The  prepa- 
ration needed  in  order  to  live  to  the  glory 
of  God  is  man's  duty  to  himself.  But  here 
we  pass  over  into  the  spiritual  sphere,  and 
therefore  we  shall  leave  the  subject  for 
fuller  discussion  in  the  next  chapter. 

Duty  to  3^     Xhe  supreme  duty  impressed  upon 

us  is  the  glory  of  God.  That  done,  all 
duties  to  self  and  others  are  fulfilled,  be- 
cause glorifying  God  consists  in  sobriety, 
honesty,  sympathy,  justice,  truthfulness, 
etc.  But  apart  from  these  there  are  per- 
sonal, peculiar  and  direct  obligations  which 
man  owes  to  God.  These  are  absolute  sur- 
render, reverence,  worship,  honor,  trust, 
obedience,  communion,  etc.  But  here  again 
we  infringe  upon  the  subject  of  our  next 
chapter,  and  we  stop. 


CHAPTEK  VII. 

UNIQUELY   EXPERT    SPIRITUAL    TEACHINGS. 

The  teachings  of  the  Bible,  thougli  they 
may  be  regarded  as  for  the  intellect  and 
morals,  are  ultimately  spiritual.  The 
fundamental  and  real  things,  which  lie 
behind,  and  at  the  spring  of  all  visible, 
audible,  and  thinkable  things,  are  the  mat- 
ters treated.  And  the  truths  given  are  the 
most  important  ever  announced. 

I.     The  Spiritual  Teachings, 

1.     Concerning  the  Being  and  Relations  God. 
of  God,  Man,  and  the  World. 

The  books  of  all  religions,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  deal  with  these  great  ques- 
tions. But  there  is  no  treatment  anywhere 
so  satisfactory  to  both  reason  and  con- 
science as  in  the  Bible.  So  daring  and  sub- 
lime are  the  conceptions,  and  yet  so  con- 
sistent and  worthy  of  all  confidence,  that 
there  is  nothing  else  in  the  world  which 
wins  and  holds  the  attention  of  men  as  the 
"  Epic  of  Redemption  '^  does. 
135 


136  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

(1).  The  Bible  does  not  speak  of  God 
from  a  philosophical  standpoint,  but  from 
a  practical.  His  being  and  attributes  are 
sketched  with  boldness  and  directness.  He 
is  a  personal  spirit  ^^  infinite,  eternal  and 
almighty,  most  holy,  just  and  wise,  most 
merciful  and  loving."  ^  No  other  repre- 
sentation of  Deity  in  his  majesty  and  per- 
fection as  that  given  in  the  Scriptures,  can 
be  found  in  any  other  religion.  The  God 
of  the  Bible  is  adorable. 
The  world  (|2).  The  explanation  given  of  the 
God.  world  of  men  and  things,  as  the  manifesta- 
tion of  God,  calls  only  for  mention,  since 
it  has  been  noticed  at  sufficient  length  in 
Chapter  V.  In  this  answer  to  the  ques- 
tions, "  What  does  the  world  mean  ?  " 
"  Why  does  it  exist  ?  "  the  Bible  shows  its 
immeasurable  superiority  to  atheism,  ag- 
nosticism, and  pantheism.  It  gives  an  an- 
swer, which  not  only  satisfies  the  intellect, 
but  which  speaks  peace  to  the  heart.  If 
God's  purpose  in  the  world  be  a  full  and 
nnmarred  manifestation  of  himself,  then 
we  have  a  pledge  of  the  banishment  of 
injustice,  selfishness,  impurity,  deceit,  and 
malevolence. 

1  The  School  Catechism.  Issued  by  a  conference  of  the 
Reformed  Churches  of  Scotland.  (Wm.  Blackwood  & 
Sons,  Edin.  &  Lond.— 1909.) 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     I37 

(3).  The  profound  insight  into  the  na-  Sin. 
ture  of  sin  belongs  to  the  Word  of  God 
alone.  There  is  no  attempt  to  theorize  on 
the  origin  of  sin.  The  practical  here,  too, 
as  on  nearly  all  other  questions,  alone  re- 
ceives attention.  In  other  religions  the 
sin  is  in  the  outward  act;  here  it  is  in  the 
heart.  The  responsibility  for  sin  is  placed 
on  the  man  who  commits  it ;  because  sin  is 
a  refusal  on  the  part  of  a  free  moral  being 
to  choose  to  manifest  God,  and  is  the  choice 
of  the  false,  the  loathsome  and  the  devilish. 
It  is  ignorant  independence  desiring,  lean- 
ing toward,  and  working  the  deeds  of  dark- 
ness. In  its  essence  it  is  not  so  much 
against  self  or  society,  as  it  is  against  God. 

"  Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned. 
And  done  that  which  is  evil  in  thy  sight ; 
That  thou  mayest  be  justified  when  thou  speakest, 
And  be  clear  when  thou  judgest."    (Ps.  51:4.) 

N^owhere  else  is  sin  made  to  appear  in  its 
real  character,  its  hideous  awfulness.  Its 
train  of  evil  consequences  is  shown  in  the 
uncontrollable  effects  of  one's  sins  on  his 
progeny,  and  on  the  nation.  Haggai 
speaks  of  corruption  being  more  contagious 
than  holiness  (2: 12,  13).  It  is  laid  bare 
as  the  blight  of  the  world,  the  cause  of  sor- 
row, toil,  and  death,    "  The  whole  creation 


138  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

groaneth  and  travaileth  together  until 
now"  (Kom.  8:  22).  It  has  man  chained 
in  bondage,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  him 
to  break  away  from  its  thraldom,  and  every 
moment  the  fetters  are  tightening  their 
grip.  So  long  as  he  remains  in  slavery, 
eternal  and  accumulating  woe  stares  him 
in  the  face. 
Penitence  (4).  Man's  choice  of  sin  did  not 
trust.  thwart  the  purpose  of  God.  He  redeemed 
man  from  the  life  of  sin  to  the  life  of  son- 
ship  ;  and  without  transgressing  man's  free- 
dom he  made  him  adopt  the  life  of  holi- 
ness. The  story  of  how  it  was  done  is  the 
real  story  of  the  world's  history.  It  is  the 
central  message  of  the  Bible. 

'Not  alone  by  increase  of  knowledge, 
multiplication  of  good  deeds  and  eradi- 
cation of  vices  is  the  life  of  sons  attained. 
From  the  very  first  the  need  of  repentance 
and  faith  is  emphasized.  The  gate  into 
the  larger  life  is  passed  through  by  stoop- 
ing. The  condition  of  repentance  is  im- 
pressed upon  men  by  the  revealed  attitude 
of  God  toward  sin.  The  attitude  of  trust 
is  inculcated  by  the  hopefulness  of  God, 
revealed  in  his  promise  given  at  the  begin- 
ning, and  repeated  over  and  over  to  patri- 
arch, lawgiver,  psalmist  and  prophet,  that 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     I39 

redemption  from  sin  is  in  store  for  the 
world ;  and  by  his  revealed  love  and  desire 
to  pardon.  The  need  of  repentance  and 
faith  were  supremely  stamped  on  men's 
minds  "  in  the  fulness  of  time "  by  the 
atonement  of  Christ.  The  JSTew  Testa- 
ment  writers  make  every  possible  effort  to 
convince  the  world  of  the  importance  of 
the  fact.  It  is  spoken  of  as  propitiation, 
ransom,  sacrifice  and  substitution,  but 
these  figures  all  convey  one  truth,  viz.,  God 
was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to 
himself,  by  showing  it  his  attitude  to- 
ward its  sin  and  his  love  and  hope  for  its 
redemption,  and  by  working  in  a  living 
way  in  them  who  look,  the  spirit  of  trust 
and  penitence.  In  this  teaching  of  the 
"  narrow  gate  "  and  the  "  straitened  way  " 
the  Bible  is  alone  among  sacred  books. 

The  spirit  of  repentance  and  faith  in  Eedemp- 
man,  then,  is  due  to  God.     The  spiritual     co-opera- 
life  for  which  this  spirit  is  the  preparation,     *^^®- 
is  wrought  by  him  also.     This  is  the  testi- 
mony of  Scripture.     "  Turn  us,  O  God  of 
our  salvation"    (Ps.  85:4);  "Create  in 
me  a  clean  heart,  O  God;   and  renew  a 
right   spirit   within   me  "    (Ps.    51 :  10)  ; 
"  Bom,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of 


140  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of 
God"  (John  1:13). 

But  Scripture  asserts  also  that  man,  too, 
has  to  do  with  the  beginning  of  the  new 
life.  "  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  trans- 
gressions "  (Ezek.  18:31);  "Turn  ye, 
turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways "  (Ezek. 
33:  11);  "But  as  many  as  received  him, 
to  them  gave  he  the  right "  (John  1 :  12)  ; 
"  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest "  (Eph. 
5:14). 

Both  aspects  can  be  reconciled.  God  is 
the  efficient  cause;  man  is  the  conditional 
cause.  God  has  the  spiritual  life  to  give; 
man  is  the  free  being  who  can  choose  or 
refuse  it.  Without  God  giving  man  can 
never  have;  without  man  allovdng  God 
can  never  give.  God's  holiness,  love,  jus- 
tice, hatred  of  sin,  sorrow  for  sin,  etc.,  are 
dammed  up  against  the  sluice-gates  of  every 
life.  Man's  sinfulness  does  not  allow  the 
divine  stream  near  the  wheels.  Man  then 
gets  the  spirit  of  trust  and  penitence,  and 
consequently  raises  the  sluice-gates.  Thus 
doing  he  fulfils  the  condition  upon  which 
the  life  is  made  anew.  He  chooses  the  life 
of  God. 
Sanctifica-  Perfection  does  not  take  place  instan- 
pro^ess,*  taneously;    it   comes    after    a   process   of 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     141 

growth.  The  first  choice  is  a  fundamental 
one,  and  will  influence  all  after  choices; 
but  it  is  not  the  onlj  choice  one  must 
make.  Knowledge  of  what  sin  is,  and 
what  the  God-life  is,  will  become  clearer, 
and  will  necessitate  many  choices.  The 
essential  character  of  the  spiritual  man  is 
sinless;  but  in  every  spiritual  man  there 
are  remains  of  sin,  because  the  knowledge 
and  consciousness  of  sin  are  only  gradually 
crystallized,  and  the  knowledge  of  certain 
spiritual  activities  is  only  gradually  ap- 
prehended. To  help  man  in  this  process 
of  growth,  God  gives  his  Spirit,  who  uses 
various  agencies.  He  cares  for  his  own 
and  reveals  his  secrets  to  them.  He  helps 
them  to  grasp  religious  opportunities.  See 
Psalms  34  and  91;  Isa.  43;  the  books  of 
Daniel,  Haggai  and  Zechariah. 

(5).     The  life  of  sons  reaches  its  high-  The 
est  earthly  development,  not  through  re- 
tiring from  the  world  of  men,  nor  by  indi-     fest^vtion 
viduals  living  among  men  yet  working  in-     in  the 
dependently    for    personal    improvement;     ^^le^ 
but  by  union  with  others  whose  effort  also     church, 
is  to  glorify  God  in  their  lives.     The  social 
life  of  righteous  people,   joined  together 
for  mutual  good   and  for   altruistic  pur- 
poses, is  the  highest  manifestation  of  the 


highest 
mani- 


142  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

God-life  possible  in  the  present  world. 
Teaching  this,  the  Bible,  both  by  precept 
and  illustration,  encourages  the  redeemed 
to  unite  into  one  brotherhood  in  order  to 
attain  to  the  life  that  was  in  Jesus  Christ, 
and,  as  his  ^'  body,"  to  continue  to  exem- 
plify to  the  world  the  attitude  of  God  to- 
ward sin,  and  his  loving  purpose  of  re- 
demption. Thus  the  church  will  be  an 
eternal  force  in  the  world,  building  up  the 
"  body  "  intensively  and  extensively  until 
at  last  society  will  be  universally  righteous 
to  the  glory  of  God.  Here,  again,  the 
Bible  goes  deeper  than  any  other  religious 
book,  by  showing  that  the  permanent  puri- 
fication of  society  will  be  attained,  not 
through  any  process  of  mere  reformation, 
but  through  its  regeneration. 
God's  per-         ('g\       ^he    limitations    of    space    and 

feet  rev-  ^    ^  ^  ^ 

elation  time  prevent  a  perfect  manifestation  of 
future.  Glod  by  his  body,  the  church;  hence  the 
Bible  postulates  a  hereafter.  E'ot  from  the 
nature  of  man,  but  from  the  character  and 
purpose  of  God,  and  from  the  nature  of 
holiness,  which  to  subsist  must  maintain, 
express  and  communicate  itself,  must  we 
believe  in  a  life  hereafter,  where  God  will 
not  come  short  of  the  consummation  of 
his  purpose. 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     143 

In  this  connection  the  Scriptures  assert  Reward 
that  the  righteous  will  he  rewarded.     The     ^y^^.^  ' 
reward  will  be  the  enjoyment  of  a  self  that     tio»« 
has  become  godlike.     It  will  be  the  peace, 
joy  and  aspiration  of  godliness.     There  is 
also   the   warning   of   retribution   for   the 
wicked.    It  is  the  rebound  in  and  upon  life 
of  sin.     It  is  the  reflex  influence  of  diso- 
bedience.     It  is   the  negative,   uncertain, 
inharmonious  and  remorseful  condition  of 
the  one  who  refuses  to  let  God  be  mani- 
fested through  him.     Here  again  the  Bible 
deals  with  the  question  in  a  practical  way, 
and  refrains  from  speculation. 

2.  Concerning  the  Religious  Inner 
Life. 

(1).  The  deep,  unequaled  insight  of 
the  Word  into  the  questions  of  sin,  peni- 
tence and  faith  has  been  indicated  in  a 
general  way.  We  should  not  fail  to  notice 
that  it  first  called  the  world's  attention  to 
the  different  forms  and  causes  of  sin,  and 
the  varieties  of  religious  experience  in  in- 
dividuals. 

The  moral  law  is  violated,  not  only  in  Varieties 
the  lion-like  way,  but  also  in  the  serpent-     °  "^* 
like.     Sin  is  not  only  a  matter  of  violent 
transgression ;  it  may  be  also  a  matter  of 
pure  indifference.    A  man's  weakness  may 


144  TSE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

be  due,  not  only  to  faculties  abnormally 
developed,  but  also  to  atrophied  abilities. 
The  causes  or  motives  lying  back  of  the 
outward  act  of  wrong  may  be  varied.  One 
man  may  be  bound  by  inferior  ties,  a  second 
may  be  blind  to  his  possibilities,  a  third 
may  be  hoodwinked  by  the  mirage  of  the 
"  far  country,"  a  fourth  may  be  cursed 
by  his  fondness  for  conventionality,  and 
so  on. 
Varieties         The  Bible  shows  the  new  life  as  twelve- 

of  saving 

impulses,  gated,  it  can  be  reached  from  many  di- 
rections. The  man  who  longs  to  do  the 
right  at  any  cost;  to  speak  for  God  to  the 
mighty;  to  dream  the  dream  of  faith  in 
God  and  man ;  to  inherit  at  last  the  house 
not  made  with  hands,  hears  in  these  long- 
ings the  call  of  the  Spirit,  and  he  comes. 
The  one  who  sees  the  march  of  God,  and 
takes  it  as  his  call  to  arms,  enters  the  city. 
Loyalty  to  the  religious  instincts  of  the 
soul  leads  others.  The  one  of  little  faith 
touches  the  hem  of  his  garment,  and  lo! 
she  is  admitted.  The  adventuresome  soul, 
anxious  to  possess  the  treasures  of  the  un- 
tried, launches  out  into  the  deep,  and  he 
is  successful.  The  lover  of  the  mystical 
is  lured  on  by  the  descriptions  of  the  life 
abundant,    and    he    finds    himself    "in 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     145 

Christ.''    The  warm-hearted  man,  fond  of 

fellowship,  is  suddenly  transformed  by  the 

contagion  of  the  character  of  Jesus.     The 

poor,  the  halt,  the  maimed  and  the  blind 

are  brought  into  the  presence  of  the  King 

and  Physician,  through  the  beneficence  of 

the  religion  for  the  disadvantaged.    Heroic 

self-sacrifice    appeals    to    some,    and    the 

Scripture  affirms  that  in  them  the  life  of 

Calvary  is  continued. 

The  tvpes  of  Christian  life  are  many.   Varieties 
rr,,  .      -.1         1    ^1    .    .  of  Chris. 

There    are    intellectual    Christians,    emo-     tians. 

tional  Christians  and  practical  Christians, 
according  as  the  thoughts,  feelings,  or  ac- 
tivities predominate.  There  are  those  who 
are  absorbent,  whose  soul  windows  are 
open,  and  who  wait  on  the  Lord ;  and  those 
who  stoop  to  lift,  and  who  are  in  bondage 
with  the  bound.  Some  go  on  to  know  the 
Lord;  others  make  progress  by  reversion. 
Some  are  on  the  frontier,  heroically  bat- 
tling against  iniquity,  and  intolerant 
against  error,  while  others  are  doing  picket- 
duty  at  the  base  of  supplies. 

(2)  Though  the  types  of  Christiana 
may  be  many,  there  are  nevertheless  cer- 
tain moods  common  to  all,  I  mention 
some  of  them. 

The    Christian    regards    man    as    his 


146  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Kinship,  brother,  and  God  as  his  Father.  He  has 
enthusiasm  for  humanity.  He  is  bound 
■with  his  fellows  in  their  struggles,  tri- 
umphs, and  injuries.  The  filial  feeling 
towards  God  balances  the  feeling  created  by 
the  thought  of  a  transcendent  God. 

Eeverence.  God  is  set  apart  from  all  things  as  holy. 
He  is  not  one  with  the  things  which  he 
has  made,  nor  with  the  forces  of  the  world. 
He  is  above  history,  as  the  author  of  the 
great  movements  of  progi^ess  in  the  na- 
tions, races  and  institutions  of  the  world. 
He  is  the  hallowed  Being,  who  breathes  in 
our  hearts  the  better  desires,  and  fashions 
in  us  our  holier  conditions. 

loyalty.  Every  man  of  God  renders   allegiance 

to  the  things  and  states  which  molded  him 
for  his  good.  The  family,  social,  political, 
and  ecclesiastical  relations,  which  are  or- 
dained of  God  for  man's  help  and  improve- 
ment, find  in  the  Christian  a  loyal  sympa- 
thizer. He  gives  time  and  energy  to  the 
development  of  his  own  manhood,  and  in 
completing  that  manhood  comes  into  closer 
and  closer  affinity  with  the  world  to  come. 
He  is  loyal  to  the  rule  of  God  in  the 
world,  in  the  life,  and  in  the  spiritual 
world. 

Resignation  to  God's  will  and  co-oper- 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     147 

ation  with  it  are  the  ideal  attitudes  for  Obedience, 
human  beings.  Waiting  for  "  his  good 
time/'  submitting  gladly  to  his  dealings, 
removing  all  barriers  to  higher  communica- 
tions, working  for  the  end  and  law  of  one's 
own  being,  fulfilling  human  relations,  and 
obeying  the  eternal  principles  of  righteous- 
ness,— this  is  the  part  of  a  true  man. 

"  Perfect  love  casteth  out  fear."  It  in-  Serenity, 
spires  trust  in  God,  that  he  will  control 
nature,  that  it  may  provide  for  us ;  that  he 
will  give  strength  and  diligence,  that  we 
may  earn  the  things  we  need ;  that  he  will 
give  justice  and  the  sense  of  stewardship 
to  men,  that  they  may  not  withhold  from 
us;  that  he  will  continue  from  day  to  day 
to  do  this  as  occasion  demands  it. 

The  redeemed  soul  does  not  forget  that  Magna- 
he  has  been  forgiven.  The  thought  of  his  ^^^^  ^' 
past  guilt,  God's  mercy,  and  his  future 
need  are  ever  with  him.  That  goodness, 
which  removes  his  burdens  day  by  day, 
creates  the  forgiving  spirit  within.  He 
puts  away  pride,  envy,  malice,  and  un- 
charitableness,  and  becomes  patient  and 
kind. 

The  soul  that  desires  to  live  the  God-  Respon- 
life  is  awake  and  sensitive  to  the  influences 
of  heaven.     The  calls,  persuasions,  ideals, 


148  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  love  of  God  do  not  come  down  on  dull 
ears,  blind  eyes,  and  dead  heart.  There 
is  no  laziness  or  torpidity  in  the  one  who 
has  been  stirred  by  the  sight  and  voice  of 
God. 
Best.  There  is  no  dismay  in  the  righteous  man. 

He  does  not  fret  himself  because  of  evil- 
doers. He  believes  that  God  rules,  is  pres- 
ent, protects,  and  triumphs  at  his  pleas- 
ure. He  hopes  for  the  future,  believing 
in  the  justice  and  munificent  preparation 
of  God.  He  rejoices  in  the  present,  be- 
cause above,  below  and  all  around  he  feels 
the  glory  of  God.  He  is  neither  faint  nor 
weary,  because  within  him  are  the  health 
and  strength  of  God. 

11.     The   Uniquely  Expert  Character  of 
the  Teachings. 

The  foregoing  teachings  of  Scripture 
show  that  its  spiritual  truths  are  not  of 
that  superficial  sort,  which  may  be  gleaned 
from  the  observation  of  nature,  or  from 
human  reasoning.  But  this  is  not  all. 
Expert  be-        2.     There  is  an  a  priori  assumption  in 

cause  of  ^  ^         ^  ^ 

authors,  favor  of  their  unique  character,  from  the 
attainments  and  nature  of  the  people 
through  whom  they  were  given. 

All    other   great   religious    books    were 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     I49 

written  by  men  who  were  searching  after 
God  if  haply  they  might  find  him.  Their 
statements  concerning  him  and  their  re- 
lations to  him  were  gropings  in  the  dark. 
The  Bible  was  written  by  men  who  had 
already  found  God.  With  a  comparatively 
clear  knowledge,  and  an  understanding  of 
him  which  was  ever  growing  clearer,  they 
spoke  of  him,  and  of  the  experiences  of 
their  own  relations  with  him. 

The  Hebrews  were  a  people  specially 
adapted  to  receive  and  transmit  spiritual 
impressions  of  the  truth.  The  Greek's 
temperament  was  artistic;  the  Roman's 
was  legal;  the  Anglo-Saxon's  is  practical; 
the  Hebrew's  was  religious.  The  Jew  was 
made  capable  of  delving  into  the  founda- 
tions of  things.  He  was  mystical  in  the 
best  sense. 

2.     Their  nature  bears  evidence  of  the  Faithful  to 
unique  character  of  these  teachings.     They     deepest 
are  faithful  to  man's  deepest  experiences,     experi- 
They  meet  the  vital  needs  of  men  as  God 
alone    could.      In    man's    extreme    hours, 
when  fellow  mortal  is  weak  in  rendering 
aid,  the  Scriptures  are  a  divine  help.     In 
affliction    they    comfort.      The    Word    is 
adapted  to  every  period  of  life.     When  a 
man  is  young  he  may  not  be  able  to  under- 


ences. 


150  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

stand  some  things ;  but  when  he  is  old  they 
interpret  themselves  to  his  heart.  It  is 
faithful  in  its  presentation  of  religious 
crises,  as  anyone  who  has  experienced  such 
can  testify. 
Inexhaust-  3.  Trench,  in  his  Hulsean  Lectures, 
calls  attention  to  the  inexhaustibility  of 
the  Scriptures.  Age  after  age  finds  new 
and  richer  meanings  in  them.  Their  truth 
is  limited  only  by  the  capacity  of  men  to 
grasp  it.  The  Reformation  found  new 
meaning  in  Paul.  The  church  had  not 
fully  appreciated  until  then  the  doctrine 
of  justification  by  faith.  The  gospel  of 
missions,  of  personal  work,  and  of  giving, 
have  been  found  in  it,  after  reading  it  for 
centuries.  Every  great  revival  -of  religion, 
and  every  great  reformation  of  doctrine, 
followed  some  special  study  of  Scripture. 
At  the  present  new  meanings  are  found  in 
the  Gospels,  as  the  Person  of  Christ  is 
being  studied.  The  doctrines  of  Inspira- 
tion, the  Incarnation  and  the  Atonement 
are  not  yet  exhausted.  And  the  future, 
with  the  extension  of  Christianity  into  the 
East,  is  bound  to  find  new  meanings  in 
John. 

1^0  man   in  his  lifetime  can  begin   to 
know  the  Bible  thoroughly,   there  are  so 


UNIQUELY  EXPERT  SPIRITUAL  TEACHINGS.     151 

many  diverse  elements  in  it.  There  is  no 
ready-made  order  or  system  in  it.  It  has 
so  much  compacted  in  even  small  portions. 
It  is  replete  with  sentences  v^hich  are,  as 
Boyle  says,  "  abridgments  of  human  his- 
tory." And,  in  addition  to  this,  it  is  a 
comprehensive  record  of  life,  and  who  can 
exhaust  life? 

Considering  these  things  we  can  do 
nothing  else  than  confess  that  here  is 
God's  word,  and  pray, 

•'  Open  thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  behold 
Wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law  "  (Ps.  119: 18). 


CHAPTEK  yill 

REASONABLE    SUPERNATrRALISM. 

Those  who  believe  in  the  Bible  know 
and  feel  right  well  that  from  their  own 
present  experience,  and  from  the  experi- 
ence of  mankind  in  general,  the  presump- 
tion is  strongly  against  the  miraculous. 
They  do  not  fail  to  observe,  also,  that  from 
the  standpoint  of  science,  taken  by  itself, 
the  presumption  is  against  miracles. 

Notwithstanding  these  facts,  they  claim 
that  the  character  of  the  supernatural  found 
in  the  Bible  is  of  such  a  nature  that,  seen 
clearly,  it  will  appeal  to  reason,  and  win 
its  endorsement. 

I.     Denials. 

There  are  certain  misconceptions  in  re- 
gard to  the  supernaturalism  of  the  Scrip- 
tures which  need  to  be  cleared  away.-"- 
Nature  not       1.     It  has  been  affirmed  that  to  believe 
in  it  one  must  give  up  all  belief  in  a  natural 

*  See  Brownlow  Maitland,  Miracles,  pp.  11-94,  on  the  sub- 
jects of  the  first  and  second  sections  of  this  chapter. 

152 


fixed. 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  I53 

order  of  things.  The  Bible  teaches  that 
there  are  fixed  laws  which  are  safe  to  fol- 
low. One  can  draw  inferences  from  the 
past  for  the  present  and  future.  One  can 
with  very  little  doubt,  depend  on  the  sun^s 
rising  to-morrow.  The  farmer  can  con- 
clude pretty  definitely  that  harvest  will 
follow  sowing.  The  Bible  does  imply  that 
nature  is  not  bound  by  an  established  fix- 
ity of  things  which  is  absolute.  Science 
cannot  contradict  that  implication. 

2.  It  has  been  said  that  belief  in  mira-  God  not 
cles  would  mean  belief  in  a  God,  who  is 
changeable,  short-sighted,  and  lacking  in 
power.  The  highest  conception  of  God 
which  that  assertion  implies  is  a  fixed  God. 
Its  man  is  a  mere  machine,  and  its  world 
a  physical  thing.  With  such  conceptions, 
miracles,  of  course,  are  impossible.  But 
the  world  is  moral,  man  is  free,  and  God, 
though  unchangeable  in  his  holiness,  is  the 
most  variable  being  in  the  universe  in  his 
activities.  It  is  his  glory.  He  adapts 
himself  to  the  needs  of  his  free  children. 
He  is  our  Father.  His  freedom  and  mo- 
rality transcend  the  physical.  A  free 
moral  God  is  higher  than  a  fixed  God. 

3.  It  is  claimed  that  miracles  are  ab- 
surd because  they   are   supported  by  the 


154 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Bible 
miracles 
never 
contra- 
dicted. 


testimony  of  a  few  against  the  testimony 
of  multitudes.  It  would,  all  things  con- 
sidered equal,  be  foolish  to  believe  any- 
thing against  the  weight  of  evidence.  But 
when  this  claim  is  made  in  regard  to  the 
miracles  of  Scripture  it  is  unfair.  There 
is  no  miracle  in  the  Bible  which  a  few 
claim  to  have  happened,  that  a  larger 
number,  present  at  the  same  time  and  place, 
claim  did  not  happen.  There  is  no  testi- 
mony to  the  contrary  in  regard  to  any  of 
the  particulars  of  the  supernatural  of 
Scripture. 

But  it  may  be  said  by  some  that  this 
does  not  answer  the  claim,  that  the  uni- 
formity of  nature  contradicts  the  miracles 
of  Scripture.  What  is  the  uniformity  of 
nature  ?  JSTature  is  not  one  simple  thing, 
but  has  two  factors,  "  elementary  forms  of 
action  and  laws  for  their  combination.^' 
Xature  is  not  uniform  in  the  former  of 
these  factors;  its  uniformity  pertains  to 
the  latter.  ITow  the  laws  which  combine 
the  elementary  forms  of  action  are  in  oper- 
ation in  miracles  as  in  the  familiar  pro- 
cesses ;  miracles  do  not  dispense  with  them 
nor  transgress  them;  hence  the  laws  do  not 
contradict  miracles.  The  miraculous  in 
miracles  belongs  to  the  elementary  forms 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  155 

of  action.  It  differs  from  the  usual  forms 
but  nature  allows  for  that,  and  therefore 
does  not  contradict  it.  Both  the  uni- 
formity of  natural  law  and  the  diversity 
of  natural  activity  are  seen  in  miracle,  and 
hence,  nature  cannot  be  truthfully  said  to 
contradict  the  miraculous.^ 

4.  Men  lauffh  at  stories  of  anomalies,  Notab- 

.  .  ,  surd. 

monstrosities,  and  separate,  unrelated 
prodigies.  Some  regard  the  supernatural 
of  the  Bible  as  such.  A  more  thorough 
and  intelligent  examination  of  the  facts 
will  reveal  a  significance  in  them,  and  a 
vital  connection  with  the  course  of  God's 
moral  government  of  the  world. 

5.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing  dis-  Not  human 
claimers,  we  shall  show  in  the  following  mony 
pages  that  this  supernaturalism  is  worthy 
of  deepest  consideration,  and  demands  as- 
sent and  belief  from  the  fact  that  it  has 
a  more  stable  foundation  than  human  testi- 
mony, which  many  assert  to  be  its  only  sup- 
port. 

The  supernatural  of  the  Bible,  therefore, 
has  nothing  irrational  in  it,  and  hence  is 
not  repulsive  because  of  any  unreasonable- 
ness. 

I  See  Bowne,  Philosophy  of  Theism,  pp.  208-210. 


alone. 


156 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


tion  : 
God  re- 
veals 
Himself. 


Presump- 
tion : 

He  need 
not  fol- 
low an 
even 
course. 


Illus- 
trated. 


11.     Assumptions  and  Presumptions. 

The  believer  in  the  supernatural  makes 
certain  assumptions  which,  men  generally 
assent  to.  He  assumes  that  there  is  a  per- 
sonal living  God;  that  this  world,  inani- 
mate and  animate,  manifests  God,  it  is  the 
God-life  in  space  and  time;  that  in  Jesus 
Christ  the  God-life  in  its  fullest  character 
centers;  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  supreme 
agent  in  accomplishing  God's  purpose  of 
self-manifestation;  and  that  the  highest 
end  of  things  is  moral  and  spiritual,  the 
physical  being  only  an  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  the  moral  and  spiritual. 

Along  with  these  assumptions  will  go 
the  presumption  that  the  God-life  and  the 
God-truth  need  not,  in  attaining  their  full 
manifestation,  follow  an  even,  regular 
course  of  development,  but  may  for  reasons 
evident  to  God,  and  perhaps  later  evident 
to  men,  come  in  power  at  times  far  beyond 
the  usual.  There  will  be  the  presumption 
that,  on  such  extraordinary  occasions, 
there  will  accompany  the  extraordinary 
infusion  of  life  and  truth  into  the  world, 
outward  manifestations  of  it. 

These  presumptions  are  reasonable. 
History  affords  abundant  illustrations. 
To  refer  to  a  recent  one:  Turkey  did  not 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALJSM,  I57 

march  on  in  an  even-tenored  way  towards 
liberty;  in  1908  there  was  an  onward 
bound.  That  was  the  God-life  and  truth 
extraordinarily  infused  into  the  Turks, 
and  extraordinarily  manifested. 

The  supernatural  is  the  "  sign  "  or  evi-  "What  the 
dence  of  a  special  presence  in  power  of  natural 
God,  who  is  always  manifesting  himself  "• 
in  gradually  increasing  proportions  in  this 
world.  The  Bible  does  not  regard  it  as 
an  interruption  on  the  part  of  God  from 
without  the  order  of  nature.  It  is  that  or- 
der itself  at  its  highest,  most  like  God.  It 
is  not  nature's  law  violated,  put  aside,  mod- 
ified. It  is  natural  law  combining  activities 
which  are  filled  out,  distended.  It  is  ten 
thousand  volts  of  life  where  there  were 
formerly  but  one  thousand.  It  is  a  seg- 
ment of  omniscience  where  there  was  for- 
merly but  a  faint  streak  of  light.  It  will 
of  necessity  be  accompanied  by  evidence  of 
it  in  striking  form. 

The  Bible,  then,  properly  understood 
shows  the  supernatural,  not  as  an  appen- 
dage, as  a  thing  needing  independent  proof. 
The  evidence,  which  proves  the  presence  of 
life  or  truth  in  a  greatly  accentuated  form, 
proves  the  supernatural  which  accompanied 


158  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

it.  The  connection  between  them  is  an 
inherent  one.  They  stand  or  fall  together. 
The  Bible  is  filled  with  this  super- 
natural. It  is  more  than  unobjectionable ; 
it  is  absorbingly  attractive. 

III.     The  Facts  of  the  Supernatural, 
Fore.  1.     Prophecy,  the  manifestation  of  the 

ings.         truth  of  God,  is  seen  in  three  forms. 

(1)  There  are  foreshadowings  of  the 
facts  of  God's  life  and  relations  with  men ; 
his  provisions  for  men;  and  his  expec- 
tations and  requirements. 

a.  In  the  typical  characters  and  offices 
of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Hebrews  re- 
ceived intimations  of  the  higher  life. 
Moses,  Aaron  and  Melchizedek  bring  a 
glimmer  of  the  life  of  him,  who  as 
prophet,  priest  and  king,  revealed  God  in 
his  fulness. 

h.  In  the  typical  rites  and  ceremonies 
in  which  the  Jews  were  thought  to  en- 
gage, such  as  those  of  the  Passover,  Day 
of  Atonement,  etc.,  the  truth  concerning 
the  sacrifice  of  God  for  man  was  set  forth, 
involving  the  ideas  of  deliverance  from 
punishment,  expiation  of  guilt,  and  resto- 
ration to  God's  fellowship. 

c.  In  the  typical  structures  and  furni- 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  159 

ture  of  the  tabernacle  and  temple  great 
spiritual  facts  were  prefigured.  The  altar 
of  sacrifice  spoke  of  atonement;  the  laver, 
of  cleansing  and  renewal;  the  altar  of  in- 
cense, of  prayer ;  the  Shekinah  glory,  of  the 
presence  of  Jehovah. 

d.  In  the  typical  events  or  scenes  other 
great  facts  are  set  forth.  Moses,  making  a 
covenant  with  God  for  his  people,  typifies 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Mediator,  interceding. 
Israel  delivered  from  Egypt  presents  be- 
forehand the  great  world  deliverance  from 
the  power  of  sin.  Israel  carried  into  Baby- 
lon speaks  of  judgment  and  punishment. 

e.  In  the  typical  precepts  and  prohibi- 
tions the  law  was  the  schoolmaster  leading 
to  the  gospel  life. 

A  careful  reading  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  will  show  the  weight  of  truth  in 
the  types  of  the  Old  Testament.^ 

(2)     Prophecy  proper. 

Hebrew  prophecy  was  animated  by  a 
wide  outlook  over  the  future,  and  a  spirit- 
ual insight,  which  grasped  the  principles 
that  shape  the  course  of  human  destiny. 
Presentiments  of  the  outcome  of  the  dis- 
pensations of  God  pervade  it.  There  were 
aspirations    in   the   prophets   which   tran- 

*  See  A.  T.  Pierson,  Ood^s  Living  Oracles,  chap.  vii. 


A  uni- 
versal 


160  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

scended  mere  hopes,  and  grasped  the  truth 
of  what  really  would  be.  All  these  things 
exceed  the  power  of  unassisted  reason,  and 
indicate  a  divine  impartation  of  truth,  be- 
yond the  ordinary,  at  the  prophetic  period 
of  the  world's  history.^ 

a.  A  Vision  of  a  World-wide  Kingdom. 
The  Jews  were  a  narrow  people,  sepa- 
church.  rated  by  training  and  prepossession  from 
the  Gentile  world.  The  people  generally 
were  inflated  by  the  belief  that  they  were 
superior  to  others,  being  God's  peculiar 
family;  and  that  they  alone  would  attain 
a  glorious  future.  But  the  prophets  swept 
all  barriers  away  and  raised  the  nations  to 
a  par  with  themselves. 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  latter  days, 
that  the  mountain  of  Jehovah's  house  shall  be 
established  on  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall 
be  exalted  above  the  hills  ;  and  all  nations  shall  flow 
unto  it"  (Isa.  2:2);  "And  Jehovah  shall  be  King 
over  all  the  earth:  in  that  day  shall  Jehovah  be 
one,  and  his  name  one  "  (Zech.  14: 9) ;  "  For  from  the 
rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the 
same  my  name  shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles ; 
and  in  every  place  incense  shall  be  offered  unto  my 
name,  and  a  pure  offering :  for  my  name  shall  be 
great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts  '* 
(Mai.  1:11).2 

1  See  also  Isa.  45  : 6,  22,  23;  49  :  6  ;  60:1,  2, 11;  66  :  23.  Dan. 
2:44;  Joel2:28;  Mic.  4:1,  2. 

2  See  Maitland,  The  Argument  from  Prophecy,  p.  50  ff. 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM, 


161 


h.  The  Agent  of  the  Promise. 

All  through  the  Old  Testament,  Israel 
is  seen  to  be  the  instrument  in  God's  hand 
for  the  redemption  of  the  world.  The 
agent  is  spoken  of  as  a  Seed,  House,  Son, 
King,  Servant,  Chosen  One,  etc.  At  one 
time  Abraham  is  the  agent;  at  another 
David;  at  another  their  descendants;  at 
another  the  true  believers  in  Israel;  at 
another  the  reigning  Davidic  king;  at 
another  a  great  descendant  of  David;  but 
always  the  agent  is  Israel  or  a  representa- 
tive of  Israel. 

The  sufferings  and  character  of  the 
agent  are  dwelt  on  with  emphasis.  The 
sufferings  are  world-caused  and  vicarious.^ 

**  He  was  despised,  and  rejected  of  men  ;  a  man 
of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief:  and  as  one 
from  whom  men  hide  their  face  he  was  despised ; 
and  we  esteemed  him  not.  Surely  he  hath  borne 
our  griefs  and  carried  our  sorrows;  yet  we  did 
esteem  him  stricken,  smitten  of  God,  and  afflicted. 
But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was 
bruised  for  our  iniquities  ;  the  chastisement  of  our 
peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed.  All  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray;  we 
have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way ;  and  Jehovah 
hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  He  was 
oppressed,  yet  when  he  was  afflicted  he  opened  not 
his  mouth  ;  as  a  lamb  that  is  led  to  the  slaughter. 


Israel  or 
her  rep- 
resent- 
ative 
the  agent 
of  re- 
demp- 
tion. 


The  suf- 
ferings 
and 

character 
of  the 
agent 
proph- 
esied. 


*  W.  J.  Beecher,  The  Prophets  and  the  Promise,  p.  281 


162  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE.  , 

and  as  a  sheep  that  before  its  shearers  is  dumb,  so 
he  opened  not  his  mouth  "  (Isa.  53 : 3-7).  ^ 

The  character  of  the  agent  is  glowingly 
described.  Generally  the  descriptions  may 
be  referred  to  the  nation  or  some  man  who 
may  represent  it,  but  sometimes  they  can- 
not be  affirmed  either  of  the  nation  or  any 
ordinary  man,  but  are  ideal.^ 

"  For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is 
given  ;  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder  :  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Counsellor,  Mighty  God,  Everlasting  Father,  Prince 
of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and  of 
peace  there  shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of 
David,  and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  establish  it,  and  to 
uphold  it  with  justice  and  with  righteousness  from 
henceforth  even  for  ever.  The  zeal  of  Jehovah  of 
hosts  will  perform  this"  (Isa.  9:6,  7);  "I  saw  in 
the  night-visions,  and,  behold,  there  came  with  the 
clouds  of  heaven  one  like  unto  a  son  of  man,  and  he 
came  even  to  the  ancient  of  days,  and  they  brought 
him  near  before  him.  And  there  was  given  him 
dominion,  and  glory,  and  a  kingdom,  that  all  the 
peoples,  nations,  and  languages  should  serve  him: 
his  dominion  is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which 
shall  not  pass  away,  and  his  kingdom  that  which 
shall  not  be  destroyed  "  (Dan.  7 :  13,  14). 

The  ftdfil-  These  prophecies  were  fulfilled  in  part 
in  the  prophets'  day;  they  were  cumula- 
tively fulfilled;  and  it  was  the  conviction 

»See  also  Psalms   22,  118;  Isa.  42,  49-52,  61;  Dan.  9:24, 
87 ;  Zech.  12 :  10  ;  13 : 7. 
SBeecher,  The  Prophets  and  the  Promise,  p.  348. 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  163 

of  the  prophets  that  they  would  he  eter- 
nally fulfilled.  Israel  would  be  forever 
the  agent  of  God's  redemptive  purpose  for 
mankind.^  These  expectations  have  been 
and  are  being  fulfilled.  Israel,  through 
the  Jewish  race,  the  Jewish  religion  and 
its  daughter  religions,  Christianity  and 
Islam,  and  above  all  through  Jesus  Christ, 
is  the  light  of  the  world.  Their  prophecies 
of  sufferings,  of  the  agents'  character,  and 
even  their  ideal  prophecies  are  fulfilled. 
Jesus  is  identified  with  the  agent  of  the 
promise  and  is  regarded  as  the  culmi- 
native  fulfilment  of  prophecy  both  by  him- 
self and  the  writers  of  the  New  Testament. 
They  find  him  in  the  Old  Testament  as  the 
suffering  and  glorious  servant  that  was  to 
bring  salvation  to  the  world.  And  it  can- 
not be  said  that  this  is  doing  violence  to 
prophecy,  for  the  prophets  speak  of  an 
eternal  fulfilment  of  the  promise  to  Abra- 
ham, and  a  more  glorious  fulfilment  in 
the  future  than  ever  in  the  past,  by  Israel 
or  the  representative  of  Israel. 

'No  people  but  the  Jews  in  any  age  of 
the  world  ever  regarded  themselves  as 
God's  agent  in  redeeming  the  world,  and 

>  Ibid.  p.  256. 


164 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Christian 
concep- 
tions. 


none  but  Israel  can  in  any  real  sense  be 
said  to  be  such. 

c.  The  Note  of  the  Gospel. 

The  prophets  leaped  beyond  their  day 
in  their  conception  of  God.  To  them  he 
was  not  racial  or  local,  nor  on  a  level  with 
human  weakness.  "  For  my  thoughts  are 
not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways 
my  ways,  saith  Jehovah.  For  as  the  heav- 
ens are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  my 
ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts"  (Isa.  55: 
'8,  9).  They  rose  to  spiritual  conceptions 
of  worship.  To  them  mere  outward  sac- 
rifice or  ritual  was  an  abomination.  True 
worship  is  a  matter  of  pure  heart  and  right- 
eousness. 

**  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  Jehovah,  and 
bow  myself  before  the  high  God  ?  shall  I  come 
before  him  with  burnt-offerings,  with  calves  a  year 
old?  will  Jehovah  be  pleased  with  thousands  of 
rams,  or  with  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil  ?  shall  I 
give  my  first-born  for  my  transgression,  the  fruit  of 
my  body  for  the  sin  of  my  soul  ?  He  hath  showed 
thee,  O  man,  what  is  good  ;  and  what  doth  Jehovah 
require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  kind- 
ness, and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God  ? "  (Mic. 
6:6-8).> 


J  See  also  1  Sam.  15 :22 ;  Pss.  40 ;  6-8  ;  50  : 7-10, 13,  14,  23 ; 
51:16,  17:  55:  6,  7;  66:3;  Hos.  6:6;  Joel  a:  13;  Amos 
6:21-24. 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  165 

They  give  us  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel, 
at  least  in  embryo.  Individual  responsi- 
bility, repentance,  faith,  forgiveness,  and 
fellowship  with  God,  are  sketched  with 
faithfulness.  Such  passages  as  Ezek.  18 ; 
Psalms  32  and  51;  Isa.  57:15;  Jer. 
31:31-33;  Joel  2:28,  29,  32;  Zech. 
12 :  10  show  this. 

In  this  reaching  out  beyond  their  time,  More  than 
into  ideas  which  would  not  be  realized  nor  insight, 
thought  generally,  they  display  more  than 
human  insight.  There  is  no  such  insight 
in  mere  man.  The  greatest  inventions, 
and  the  greatest  discoveries  of  scientific 
and  philosophic  truths  were  not  made  by 
men  centuries  in  advance  of  their  time. 
The  great  inventors  were  no  more  than, 
abreast  of  many  men  of  their  day.  The 
great  discoverers  were  but  a  step  ahead  of 
their  generation.  This  is  shown  by  the  in- 
ventions and  discoveries  of  the  first  order 
made  coincidently  by  men  in  different 
countries  working  independently.  With- 
out a  Bacon  the  world  would  have  discov- 
ered the  truth  he  gave  it,  and  it  would  not 
have  waited  long.  And,  in  addition  to 
this,  in  the  productions  of  human  intellect 
there  are  limitation,  incompleteness  and 
lack   of   symmetry.      They   are   soon   out- 


166 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Prophecy 
includes 
predic- 
tions. 


grown.  Whence,  then,  these  prophetic 
truths,  foreshadowings,  and  foregleams, 
so  true  to  their  fulfilment  though  uttered 
hundreds  of  years  in  advance,  so  universal 
and  so  undying?     They  are  supernatural. 

(3)     Predictions. 

V7hen  one  believes  prophecy  is  super- 
natural, and  it  is  difiicult  to  see  how  one 
can  do  otherwise,  it  will  be  easy  to  believe 
the  individual  predictions.  The  latter  are 
parts  of  the  former,  when  they  have  their 
moral  and  spiritual  environment.  They 
are  striking  incidents,  which  show  the  God- 
power  of  the  whole  prophetic  movement. 
One's  belief  in  the  supernatural  nature  of 
the  Bible's  predictive  prophecy  would  be 
strongly  buttressed  were  he  to  take  the  sep- 
arate predictions  concerning  Tyre,  Philis- 
tia,  Babylon,  Nineveh,  etc.,  and  see  how 
history  fulfils  them;  and  were  he,  when 
doing  it,  to  consider  how  improbable  the 
exact  fulfilment  would  be  in  view  of  the 
number  of  details,  if  they  were  the  words 
of  a  mere  fortune-teller,  he  would  be  still 
more  persuaded  of  their  divine  origin. •'■ 

2.     Miracles. 

The  argument  for  the  manifestation  of 
the  God-life  is  the  same  as  for  the  mani- 


»  See  A.  T.  Pierson,  Qod'a  Living  Oracles,  Chaps,  iv,  t. 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  167 

festation  of  the  God-truth.  The  reasonable 
STipernaturalism  of  prophecy  and  predic- 
tion we  believe  to  be  established.  The  like 
character  of  miracle  can  be  now  shown  at 
shorter  length. 

(1)     Jesus  Christ. 

In  Jesus  Christ  there  appeared  in  space  Themira- 
and  time  the  highest  manifestation  of  godli- 
the  God-life, — purity,  meekness,  kindness,  ^®®^* 
unselfishness,  patience,  truthfulness,  in- 
sight, self-sacrifice,  service,  majesty  and 
holiness.  There  never  appeared  anyone 
on  earth  within  measurable  distance  of 
him.  With  that  character,  he,  at  the  same 
time,  claims  equality  with  God.  His 
teachings  are  remarkable,  beyond  the  pow- 
er of  words  to  express  adequately.  He 
adjusts  morality  and  religion  exactly. 
He  makes  a  practical  application  of  the 
principles  of  righteousness  to  life  and 
works  without  an  error.  His  whole  life, 
words  and  works  were  flawless.  E^ot  only 
was  he  without  fault,  he  was  also  full  of 
active  and  positive  life, — ^the  life  abundant 
in  all  its  glory. 

He   started    a   living   influence    in    the  Themira- 
world    never   before    approached.      Chris-     Chris- 
tianity    with     its     beneficent,     uplifting,     Canity, 
spreading  and  vast  powers  is  farther  from 


168 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


The  mira- 
cle of  the 
world's 
prepara- 
tion. 


Dzplana- 
tion. 


the  influences  originated  by  other  found- 
ers of  religions  than  human  creation  could 
have  put  it. 

There  was  an  antecedent  preparation 
of  the  world  for  him.  His  surroundings 
were  put  in  order  for  his  advent.  Roman 
political  rule  was  wide,  and  knowledge  of 
the  Greek  language  was  common;  the  one 
securing  protection  and  means  of  travel, 
the  other  securing  an  audience  everywhere, 
and  both  peoples  giving  to  the  world  an 
exhibition  of  the  futility  of  human  en- 
deavor, when  not  lighted  and  led  by  God, 
in  attaining  to  righteousness. 

What  explains  Jesus  Christ  ?  Nothing, 
if  he  is  not  the  accentuated  life  of  God  in 
space  and  time.  He  is  that  God-life, 
which  is  being  manifested  in  the  world 
and  in  man  slowly  and  by  degrees ;  but  in 
him  that  life  appeared  in  all  its  fulness. 
He  was  "  the  image  of  the  invisible  God," 
which  man,  at  his  present  rate  of  mani- 
festing God,  cannot  reach  for  ages,  if  ever. 
That  explains  him.  He  was  supernatural. 
'And  he  was  supernatural  that  he  might  be 
God^s  effective  agent,  being  God-man,  in 
bringing  God's  great  purpose  of  self-mani- 
festation to  pass. 

Everything    in    connection    with    Jesus 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM. 


169 


Christ  we  would  now  expect  to  have  been 
supernatural,  as  they  were.  We  no  longer 
wonder  at  supernatural  birth,  knowledge, 
works  and  resurrection.  They  were 
"  signs "  of  the  God-life  in  its  supreme, 
extraordinary  manifestation. 

(2)     Old  Testament  Miracles. 

How  are  we  to  explain  Moses,  Elijah,   Old  Testa- 
Daniel  and  the  other  men  whose  lives  and     men  wen 

works  are  so  far  in  advance  of  their  time,     s^per- 

-      .  .         .       ,      ,  .  natural, 

and  who  appeared  at  crises  m  the  history 

of  the  development  of  the  manifestation 
of  the  God-life  among  men  ?  They  are  ex- 
plained only  by  assuming  that  in  them 
God's  life  was  revealed  in  greater  power 
than  usual.  They  were  supernatural  char- 
acters. The  miracles  they  wrought  were 
congTuous  with  their  characters.  They 
were  "  signs."  Of  course,  we  must  say 
that  they  were  supernatural  characters  of 
a  lower  degree  than  that  of  Jesus  Christ; 
but  that  the  God-life  shone  through  them 
in  an  extraordinary  measure  is  evident. 
And  their  "  miracles  "  were  inherent  parts 
of  their  supernatural  life. 

3.     Inspiration. 

In  addition  to  the  prophetic  and  mirac- 
ulous elements,  we  have  in  the  writings 
of  the  Bible  as  a  whole  the  supernatural. 


170  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Belief  in  Here  is  a  body  of  writings,  which  delves 
natural  into  such  great  problems  of  thought  as  the 
t?on  un-  ^iiig  of  ^<^^>  t^6  existence  of  sin,  and 
avoid-  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  brings 
able.  .    ^       .  1  .     -,       rr.,  ? 

satisfaction  to  the  mind.  Ihey  are  writ- 
ings which  give  truths,  such,  for  example, 
as  those  concerning  the  Trinity,  which  are 
undiscoverable  by  human  intelligence,  yet 
which  do  not  conflict  with  it;  but  are  in 
harmony  with  the  elementary  truths,  which 
are  known  by  immediate  experience.  In 
this  Book  are  promises,  which  could  have 
come  only  from  the  spiritual  land,  because 
of  their  loftiness,  and  because  of  the  con- 
solation they  give  when  tried  experimen- 
tally. It  gives  a  full  revelation  of  the 
character  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ;  and,  in 
the  earlier  parts,  though  not  so  full,  al- 
ways makes  a  portrait  of  him  centuries  in 
advance  of  the  age  in  which  it  was  written. 
The  truths  of  the  Bible,  which  refer  to  the 
spiritual  life,  never  conflict  with  the  deep- 
est experiences  of  the  few  rare  souls  in  the 
van  of  God's  army,  and  provide  an  un- 
equaled  ideal  for  the  many  who  follow. 
There  is  a  harmony  of  the  various  parts, 
and  a  binding  of  the  spiritual  life  and 
truth  of  the  Bible  to  historical  facts, 
which  shows  the  whole  to  have  be^n  heaven- 


REASONABLE  SUPERNATURALISM.  171 

guided.     The  inspiration  of  the  Bible  is 
supernatural.^ 

Prophecy,  miracle  and  inspiration  do 
not  seem  to  be  a  supernatural  which  is 
reasonable  only,  but  one  which  is  also  pro- 
ductive of  reverence. 

>  See  Frank  H.  Foster  in  Bib.  SaCt  vol.  52,  pp.  69  ff.  232  fC. 


CHAPTEK  IX. 

MOTIVE   POWER. 

Causes  of  There  is  an  authority  which  is  outward, 
fluence.*  and  also  one  which  is  inward.  The  Old 
Testament  has  an  outward  authority  be- 
cause of  the  position  given  to  it  by  Jesus 
and  the  apostles.  Both  the  Old  and  'New 
Testaments  have  an  authority  for  us  from 
the  fact  that  the  church,  through  all  the 
Christian  centuries  has,  both  by  common 
consent  and  the  voice  of  its  experts,  pro- 
nounced them  of  supreme  worth  in  all 
matters  of  faith  and  conduct. 

There  is  a  higher  power  than  the  out- 
ward. It  is  the  power  of  intrinsic  worth. 
This  is  the  power  of  insight,  sincerity, 
earnestness,  truth,  goodness  and  love.  On 
this  inner  worth  of  the  Bible,  its  out- 
ward authority  ultimately  rests. 

The  power  of  this  excellence  does  not 

end  in  winning  one's  approval,  confidence 

and  affection;  it  goes  beyond  that.     One 

cannot  r«ad  the   Bible  in   an  impersonal 

172 


MOTIVE  POWER.  I73 

way.  He  cannot  hold  it  at  a  distance.  Its 
character  and  contents  lay  hold  of  him  in 
the  most  personal  and  vital  way.  It  drives 
him  in  upon  himself.  Just  as  the  sun 
melts  the  iceberg,  lifts  the  vapor,  and 
coaxes  out  the  leaves,  so  the  Bible  softens, 
wins,  and  vivifies. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  in  the  world  leading 
men  to  live  the  life  that  was  in  Jesus 
Christ.  The  Word  is  his  chief  agent,  and 
it  works  along  the  same  lines,  but  more 
vitally,  in  which  the  world-teachers,  the 
poets,  work. 

I.     It  Worlcs  Repentance. 

1.     The  great  poets  endeavor  to  awake  Self  con- 
a  feeling  of  self-condemnation  in  sinful     tioTis 

men.     They  picture  imoble  men  and  worn-     pro- 

.   .  .  .  duced. 

en  so  vividly  that  their  readers  begin  to 

measure  themselves.  The  lagos,  Guine- 
veres,  Lancelots  and  lesser  sinners  are  dis- 
turbed by  the  portraits. 

The  reader  of  the  Bible  is  made  much 
more  uneasy  by  what  he  reads  than  any 
reader  of  poetry.  A  mirror  is  held  up 
before  him  in  which  he  cannot  fail  to  find 
himself.  Sinful  man  is  pictured  from 
every  possible  angle.  He  is  shown  as  a 
transgressor,  who  breaks  the  laws  set  up 


174  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

for  his  guidance  in  personal  matters,  and 
becomes  vile,  gluttonous,  indolent,  vain, 
covetous,  etc. ;  in  relation  towards  others, 
and  becomes  unjust,  harsh,  ungenerous, 
jealous  etc. ;  in  relation  to  God,  and  be- 
comes irreverent,  unbelieving,  cold  and  dis- 
obedient. He  is  portrayed  as  an  omitter, 
squandering  opportunities,  neglectful  of 
duties,  and  failing  to  attain  to  his  or- 
dained end.  In  bold  and  vivid  lines  he  is 
revealed  as  iniquitous,  his  mind  perverted, 
his  affections  degraded,  his  will  weak- 
ened, and  his  talents  prostituted,  all  his 
faculties  disorganized,  and  the  springs  of 
his  life  corrupted  by  his  uncontrolled  in- 
clinations and  wicked  ways.  Erom  Cain, 
"who  slew  his  brother,"  to  Diotrephes, 
"  who  loveth  to  have  the  preeminence 
among  them,"  sinners'  portraits  are  hung 
in  the  long  "  rogues'  gallery  "  of  the  Book. 
In  "  Becket "  Tennyson  says, 

"  "We  are  sinners  all, 
The  best  of  all  not  all  prepared  to  die." 

The  Bible  proves  it  in  detail.  !N'o  reader 
can  escape  coming  under  some  part  of  its 
sweeping  and  searching  condemnation. 
The  ones  who  think  themselves  righteous 
are  nevertheless  sinners.     The  outwardly 


MOTIVE  POWER.  I75 

moral,  guiltless  of  anv  gross  misconduct, 
are  under  sentence.  Those  hitherto  in- 
sensible of  need  find  out  their  perilous 
plight.  "  As  it  is  written,  There  is  none 
righteous,  no,  not  one;  ....  They  have 
all  turned  aside,  they  are  together  become 
ui] profitable ;  There  is  none  that  doeth 
good,  no,  not  so  much  as  one:  ....  for  all 
have  sinned,  and  fall  short  of  the  glory  of 
God"  (Kom.  3:10,  12,  23).  The  unbe- 
lievers, who  do  not  bow  to  divine  authority, 
and  who  foolishly  choose  this  world  to  the 
next ;  the  evil  thinkers,  who  hold  as  a  sweet 
morsel  the  impure  thought  and  the  unholy 
imagination;  the  unforgiving,  who  keep 
the  old  grudge,  and  flay  with  scorn  and 
backbiting ;  the  indifferent,  reckless  of  holi- 
ness, heaven  and  happiness,  are  all  in  the 
broad  way  that  leadeth  to  destruction,  as 
certainly  as  are  the  murderers,  adulterers, 
defrauders  and  robbers.  Christians  may 
strive  to  obey  God,  yet  they,  too,  sin  every 
day  they  live.  "  Surely  there  is  not  a 
I  righteous  man  upon  earth,  that  doeth  good, 
and  sinneth  not  "  (Eccl.  7 :  20)  ;  "  If  we 
say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive 
ourselves,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us " 
(1  John  1:8).  The  Commandments, 
the  Psalms,  the  Prophecies,  the  Gospels, 


176  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  the  Epistles — the  supreme  court  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom — ^pass  the  sentence  upon 
every  son  and  daughter  of  Adam,  "  Thou 
art  weighed  in  the  balances,  and  art  found 
wanting''  (Dan.  5:27). 

The  facts  of  original  sin,  heredity, 
ignorance,  infirmity  and  environment  are 
considered,  and  allowance  made  in  view  of 
them,  but  they  are  not  a  sufficient  excuse 
for  sin.  At  the  most  they  are  but  occasions 
for,  or  contributory  causes  of,  sin.  The 
efficient  cause  is  in  the  will  of  the  sinner, 
and  that  holds  every  one  responsible  for 
his  own  sins.  The  Word  of  God  brushes 
away  all  excuses  and  fixes  the  guilt  upon 
the  evil-doer.     See  Ezek.  18. 

This  does  not  say  that  one  is  not  held  to 
be,  in  some  measure,  responsible  for  an- 
other's sins,  if  his  actions  produced  the 
occasion  or  temptation  for  that  other's  evil 
doing.  The  very  opposite  is  the  teaching 
of  Scripture.  A  man  is  held  responsible, 
not  only  for  his  own  sin,  but  for  the  evil 
effects  which  follow  from  it;  and  for  the 
eternally  increasing  blight  upon  the  lives 
of  growing  multitudes  which  issues  from 
it.  Every  sinner  can  see  himself  with  an 
inverted  pyramid  of  sins  resting  upon  him 
for  every  sin,  even  the  smallest,  which  he 


MOTIVE  POWER.  177 

ever  committed;  and  these  pyramids  foi> 
ever  growing  in  weight,  and  forever  spread- 
ing evil  consequences  more  and  more  upon 
a  burdened  world. 

2.  In    "The    King    and    the    Book,"  The  sinfui- 
Erowning  shows  the  true  nature  of  sin,  and     gi^  jg 

Tennyson  does  the  same  in  the  "  Idyls  of     ^^^® 
•^  '^      ,  clear. 

the  King."  They  suggest  the  foulness,  in- 
iquity, bitterness  and  miserable  conse- 
quences of  sin,  to  make  it  forbidding.  And 
they  gain  their  end.  Hatred  for  sin  de- 
velops in  the  soul  that  is  in  sympathy  with 
them. 

In  the  Bible,  in  much  stronger  and  more 
pointed  words  of  derision,  denunciation 
and  judgment,  the  sinfulness  of  the  wicked 
is  condemned.  The  sinners  are  likened  to 
slaves,  blind  men,  lepers,  dogs  and  silly 
sheep.  They  are  like  the  "  kine  of  Ba- 
shan,"  "the  beasts  that  perish."  They 
are  feeders  on  husks,  and  "  whitened  sepul- 
chres "  all  foul  within.  They  are  suffer- 
ing from  the  dropsical  swellings  of  pride, 
the  paralysis  of  the  will,  the  malaria  of  the, 
heart,  and  the  tuberculosis  of  the  character. 
They  are  in  a  state  of  delirium,  not  recog- 
nizing the  awful  risks  they  are  taking,  the 
glorious  opportunities  they  are  refusing, 
and  the  seraphic  music  and  heavenly  land- 


178  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

scape  they  are  missing.  Sinful  man  is 
held  up  as  the  blackest  monster  of  the 
world.  He  polluted  Eden,  befouled  the 
immortal  nature  of  the  race,  blasted 
the  world  and  crucified  the  Christ.  His 
sin  is  an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  its  wages  is  death.  ^'  The  wicked 
shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations 
that  forget  God"  (Ps.  9:17);  "For 
whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he 
also  reap"  (Gal.  6:7). 
Judgment        3.  The  poets  call  attention  to  the  iudff- 

is  re-  ^  .         ,  .  ,    1    .  .  ,        ^      r 

veaied.  ment  upon  sm  which  brings  punishment  m 
the  present.  Thej  endeavor  also  to  awake 
a  feeling  of 

"  Time  flowing  in  the  middle  of  the  night, 
And  all  things  creeping  to  a  day  of  doom," 

Tennyson,  in  "  The  Vision  of  Sin,"  shows 
divine   retribution    slowly   gathering, — 

"  God  made  himself  an  awful  rose  of  dawn 
Unheeded  :  and  detaching,  fold  by  fold. 
From  those  still  heights,  and,   slowly  drawing 

near, 
A  vapor  heavy,  hueless,  formless,  cold, 
Came  floating  on  for  many  a  month  and  year, 

Unheeded." 

The   little   maid   in   "  Guinevere "    sings 
solemnly, 


MOTIVE  POWEM.  179 

"  Late,  late,  so  late!  and  dark  the  night  and  chill ! 
Late,  late,  so  late !  but  we  can  enter  still. 
Too  late,  too  late !  ye  cannot  enter  now. 

No  light  had  we  :  for  that  we  do  repent ; 
And  learning  this  the  bridegroom  will  relent. 
Too  late,  too  late !  ye  cannot  enter  now. 

No  light:  so  late!  and  dark  and  chill  the  night! 
O  let  us  in,  that  we  may  find  the  light ! 
Too  late,  too  late !  ye  cannot  enter  now. 

Have  we  not  heard  the  bridegroom  is  so  sweet  ? 
O  let  us  in,  though  late,  to  kiss  his  feet ! 
Too  late,  too  late!  ye  cannot  enter  now." 

This  motive  of  fear  is  a  proper  one  to 
use,  and  sanely  used  is  a  good  corrective. 
The  Bible  reveals  the  inflexible  justice  of 
God.  He  desires  and  orders  that  all  men's 
thoughts,  words  and  deeds,  that  their  whole 
life,  be  in  harmony  with  holiness.  Fail- 
ure on  man's  part  brings  its  own  reward 
of  ruin.  God's  firmness  is  not  vindictive- 
ness.  Fire  comforts ;  but,  crossed,  it  burns. 
Electricity  serves;  but,  crossed,  it  deals  a 
death-shock.  Holiness  perfects;  but, 
crossed,  it  shrivels  and  destroys  the  soul. 
The  certainty  of  retribution  for  sin  glares 
out  from  every  part  of  the  Bible.  It  re- 
minds men  of  a  constant  reckoning  of  their 
good  and  evil  doings;  and,  in  addition, 
its  trumpet  tones  call  their  attention  to  a 
day  on  which  an  awful  tribunal  will  be 


180 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Shows 
unat- 
tained 
possibili- 
ties. 


inaugurated.  With  terrible  dashes  it  por- 
trays the  approach  of  doom,  and  the  assem- 
bled culprits  before  the  bar  of  God.  The 
Judge,  impartial,  omniscient  and  omnipo- 
tent is  on  the  throne,  and  the  books  are 
opened.  "  We  must  all  be  made  manifest 
before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ;  that 
each  one  may  receive  the  things  done  in  the 
body,  according  to  what  he  hath  done, 
whether  it  be  good  or  bad  "  (2  Cor.  5 :  10)  ; 
"  Whose  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  will 
thoroughly  cleanse  his  threshing-floor;  and 
he  will  gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner, 
but  the  chaff  he  will  burn  up  with  un- 
quenchable fire"   (Matt.  3:12).^ 

4.  The  possibilities  of  knowledge,  char- 
acter and  work,  which  man  is  capable  of 
attaining  to,  is  a  strong  motive  with  the 
poets.     Tennyson  makes  Maud's  lover  long 

•*  And  ah  for  a  man  to  arise  in  me, 
That  the  man  I  am  may  cease  to  be." 

The  Bible  uses  this  motive  with  tre- 
mendous power.  It  brings  the  readers 
face  to  face  with  their  Maker,  who  is 
"  glorious  in  holiness ;  "  who  is  "  of  purer 
eyes  than  to  behold  evil,  and  canst  not  look 

*  On  the  General  Judgment  see  Matt.  25 ;  Lk.  13  ; 
Acts  2: 19-21;  2  Pet.  3:7-12;  Jude  14,  15;  Rev.  6:15-17; 
20:11-15.  On  the  basis  of  judgment  see  Ezek.  18;  Lk. 
12:47.48;  13:6-9;  19:12-27;  John3:19,  20;  15:22-24;  Rom. 
2  : 5-12  ;  1  Cor.  3 : 8-15  ;  Gal.  6 : 5-10 ;  Heb.  10 :  26-80. 


MOTIVE  POWER.  Igj 

on  iniquity ;  "  and  then  urges  "  Ye  shall 
he  holy;  for  I  Jehovah  your  God  am 
holy"  (Lev.  19:2);  "Ye  therefore  shall 
be  perfect,  as  your  heavenly  Father  is 
perfect''  (Matt.  5:48);  "But  like  as  he 
who  called  you  is  holy,  be  ye  yourselves 
also  holy  in  all  manner  of  living "  (1 
Pet.  1:  15).  Not  only  the  explicit  state- 
ments impress  this,  but  also  the  examples 
of  saintly  men  and  women  who  walked 
with  God. 

The  Bible  makes  God's  goodness  and  Motive 
mercy,  and  one's  own  higher  possibilities,  l^^^  ^ 
but  present  sinful  condition,  so  real;  and  vision, 
the  firmness  of  God  and  certain  punish- 
ment for  sin  so  evident,  that  repentance  is 
brought  on.  Sin  assumes  its  real  charac- 
ter and  is  seen  in  all  its  blackness;  and  it 
is  heartily  hated  and  renounced.  The 
effects  of  sin  on  others  appear  in  their  de- 
structive and  cumulative  character;  and 
the  soul  is  filled  with  remorse,  sorrow  and 
the  desire  to  make  restitution.  The  weak- 
ness and  corruption  of  the  heart,  which 
make  one  the  slave  of  sin  and  an  ingrate 
towards  God,  become  manifest,  creating 
self-reproach  and  humility,  and  causing 
him  to  cry  out,  "  I  acknowledge  my  trans- 
gressions: and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me. 


182  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

[Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and 
done  this  evil  in  thy  sight :  that  thou  might- 
est  be  justified  when  thou  speakest,  and  he 
clear  when  thou  judgest  '^  (Ps.  51:  3,  4).^ 

II.     It  worJcs  Faith. 

The  poets  are  right  in  using  motives 
other  than  those  which  will  aid  in  making 
the  sinner  penitent.  The  one  in  sin  cannot 
be  fully  lifted  out  of  it  until  he  sees  that 
he  is  loved.  That  alone  implants  the  trust 
that  removes  the  feeling  of  guilt  and  be- 
stows peace  and  confidence.  It  was  Ar- 
thur's love  that  completed  Guinevere's  re- 
demption. Browning  pictures  David  play- 
ing for  Saul,  but  it  was  not  the  soft  and 
dreamy  tune  he  used  to  play  to  the  sheep 
at  folding  time;  not  the  seductive  strains 
which  used  to  entrance  the  birds  and  wild 
animals;  not  those  songs  which  spoke  of 
fellowship,  work,  death  and  marriage ;  of 
life's  tears  and  triumphs ;  of  fame  and  in- 
fluence; but  the  song  of  God's  love,  as  re- 
vealed in  the  incarnate  Saviour  that  could 

"  snatch  Saul  the  mistake, 
Saul  the  failure,  the  ruin  he  seems  now, — and  bid 
him  awake." 

*  See  Leonard  Woods,  Literary  and  Theological  Review, 
vol.  1,  pp.  400  flf. 


MOTIVE  POWER.  183 

"  O  Saul  it  shall  he 
A  face  like  my  face  that  receives  thee  ;  a  Man  like 

to  me, 
Thou  Shalt  love  and  be  loved  by,  forever  :  a  Hand 

like  this  hand 
Shall  throw  open  the  gates  of  new  life  to  thee !   See 

the  Christ  stand ! " 

When  the  Bible  is  producing  repentance, 
it  is  at  the  same  time  causing  faith  to 
spring  up,  and  this  by  means  of  the  vision 
of  God's  love  v^hich  it  burns  into  the  soul. 
Indeed  to  be  precise  one  must  say  that  the 
love  as  well  as  the  holiness  of  God  pro- 
duces repentance,  and  the  holiness  as  well 
as  the  love  produces  faith. 

1.  The  love  of  God  is  shown  in  His  Shows 
long-suffering   towards    Israel.      They   re-     patient 
belled  in  the  Wilderness,  turned  to  idol-     lo^®- 
atry  in  Canaan,  disregarded  the  prophets, 
played    the    flatterer    to    the    Babylonian 
ruler,  yet  they  were  not  cast  off. 

The  history  of  individuals  shows  the 
same  thing.  Given  opportunities  for  de- 
velopment and  service  by  God,  they 
reached,  at  the  best,  but  a  partial  growth. 
To  many  of  his  servants  he  gave  great  tal- 
ents, but  they  were  often  disused  or  di- 
verted from  their  proper  use.  Many  were 
tyrannical,  hideously  criminal  and  degrad- 
ingly  selfish.     Many  more  were  bitter  op- 


184:  T^E  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ponents  of  his  servants.  But  for  each  and 
all  of  them  there  was  a  patient  waiting. 
Balaam,  who  prostituted  his  great  talents; 
his  servant  David,  who  shamefully  trans- 
gressed ;  and  Saul,  who  persecuted  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ,  were  not  forsaken.  The 
hundreds,  who  doubted,  who  threw  away 
their  opportunities,  who  resisted  God's  ap- 
peals, and  whose  history  is  recorded  in  the 
Bible,  but  emphasize  that  which  he  is  most 
anxious  men  should  feel — the  long-suffer- 
ing of  God.  The  saints  of  Scripture  insist 
that  they  have  experienced  it.  And  God 
himself  declares,  "  For  my  name's  sake 
will  I  defer  mine  anger,  and  for  my  praise 
will  I  refrain  for  thee,  that  I  cut  thee  not 
off"  (Isa.  48:9). 

2.  Argument  and  illustration  are  ex- 
gifts,  hausted  in  the  appeal  to  sinners  to  behold 
the  grace  of  God, 

The  bountiful  provisions  of  nature  are 
his  gifts,  and  they  are  bestowed  regardless 
of  merit.  The  sins  of  men  do  not  stop 
his  love,  and  cause  him  to  withhold  his 
treasures.  "  He  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on 
the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth  rain 
on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust "  (Matt.  5 : 
45). 

One  of  the  great  burdens  of  Scripture  is 


Shows 
God's 


MOTIVE  POWER.  I35 

the  message  of  the  nearness  of  God.  'No 
mountain  of  good  deeds  and  ceremonies 
has  to  be  climbed  before  he  can  be  reached. 
He  does  not  wait  to  be  coaxed,  cajoled  or 
placated  before  he  draws  near.  He  is 
within  men.  "  For  in  him  we  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being  "  (Acts  17:  28). 

God  gives  new  life  to  men.  He  enlight- 
ens the  dark,  cleanses  the  foul,  ennobles  the 
mean,  mends  the  broken,  straightens  the 
crooked,  restores  the  sick  and  brings  home 
the  lost.  'None  is  so  degraded  that  he  can- 
not lift,  and  none  so  prodigal  that  he  is  not 
anxious  to  banquet.  He  takes  men  not 
only  out  of  the  pit  and  the  miry  clay,  but 
also  out  of  respectable  worldliness. 

3.  The  Bible  does  not  reveal  God  as  a  Reveals 
cold  Being  who  is  indifferent  to  the  sins  of     atone- 
men.      He    is   everywhere   represented   as     "^®^** 
One  who  feels  the  sins  of  the  world.     By 
figurative  language  and  in  other  ways  his 
sorrow,  anguish  and  compassion  are  made 
manifest,  and  his  hatred  of  sin  revealed. 
But   rising   above   his   suffering,    and  his 
hatred  for  sin  are  his  actual,  triumphant 
struggle  against  sin,  and  his  confidence  of 
ultimate  victory. 

In  these  aspects  of  atoning  love  God  ap- 
pears from  the  first.     These  attitudes  be- 


186 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Pardon 
and  as- 
surance 
testified 
to. 


come  clearer  and  clearer,  until  at  last  they 
are  seen  in  all  their  fulness  and  power  in 
the  mangled  brow,  the  pierced  side  and  the 
bleeding  hands  and  feet  of  Christ  on  Cal- 
vary. 

4.  The  love  of  God  is  so  generous  and 
magnanimous  that  he  forgives  the  past  sins 
of  his  children  who  come  to  him,  and  ban- 
ishes them  into  oblivion.  Upon  their  re- 
pentance and  faith,  which  he  graciously 
propagates  in  them  by  his  atonement,  he 
remits  and  pardons  without  dragging  his 
justice  in  the  dust.  And  not  only  does  he 
pardon,  but  he  bestows  the  assurance  of 
being  pardoned,  which  brings  "  the  peace 
of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding." 
All  the  saints  concur  with  the  Psalmist  in 
his  testimony, 


He  hath  not  dealt  with  us  after  our  sins, 

Nor  rewarded  us  after  our  iniquities. 

For  as  the  heavens  are  high  above  the  earth, 

So  great  is  his  lovingkindness  toward  them  that 

fear  him. 
As  far  as  the  east  is  from  the  west, 
So  far  hath  he  removed  our  transgressions  from 

us."    (Ps.  103:10-12.) 


God's  invi-  5^     jj^g   lonff-suffering   and   atonement 

tation  . 

an-  God   impresses   upon   the   world   with    all 

nounc    .  earnestness  and  anxiety,  both  by  word  and 


MOTIVE  POWER.  Ig7 

example.  His  forgiveness  of  sins  and  gifts 
of  life  he  proffers  to  all,  and  urges  with 
divine  sincerity  and  yearning.  With  invi- 
tations loud,  repeated  and  loving  he  calls 
to  every  human  heing  without  exception. 

"  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the 
waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money  ;  come  ye,  buy, 
and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price  "  (Isa.  55: 1). 

"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest "  (Matt,  11 :  28). 

"  And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come.  And 
he  that  heareth,  let  him  say,  Come.  And  he  that  is 
athirst,  let  him  come  :  he  that  will,  let  him  take 
the  water  of  life  freely  "    (Rev.  22 :  17). 

The  full  vision  of  God's  love    given  in  Motive 
the  Bible  is  irresistible,  it  works  faith.     It     J^^'^  °' 
instils    in   men   unbounded   confidence    in     vision, 
him  who  is  mighty  and  willing  to  save. 
The  fortress  of  the  soul  is   surrendered. 
The   weight  of  guilt,   which  mere  works 
could  not  lift,  is  removed.     There  comes  a 
peace    within   through   the    trust   that   he 
will  nullify  or  control  the  effects  of  past 
sins  on  others.     Joy  reigns  in  the  assur- 
ance that  he  will  keep  the  faithful  forever. 

**  O  Jehovah  of  hosts. 
Blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  thee"  (Ps. 
84:12). 


188  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

III.     It  Works  Righteousness, 

The  righteous  life,  which  the  great  po- 
etic seers  inspire,  is  the  large  life,  which  is 
in  tune  with  the  worthy  finite,  and  thus 
^'  in  tune  with  the  infinite ;  "  the  serene  and 
optimistic  life  which  is  conscious  of  the 
"  murmurs  and  scents  of  the  infinite  sea  " 
and  which  can  say, 

"  See!  In  the  rocks  of  the  world 
Marches  the  host  of  mankind, 
A  feeble,  wavering  line. 
Where  are  they  tending? — A  God 
Marshall'd  them,  gave  them  their  goal;" 

the  helpful  life  which  desires, 

*'  Let  me  live  in  a  house  by  the  side  of  the  road, 

And  be  a  friend  to  man." 

The  Word  of  God  is  the  great  instrument 
for  the  animating  and  vitalizing  influence 
of  the  divine  on  character.  A  new  habit 
of  life  develops  contemporaneously  with 
the  development  of  repentance  and  faith. 
As  the  old  is  being  put  off  the  new  is  being 
put  on. 
Worship.  1^  The  sympathetic  reader  is  con- 
strained to  give  to  God  the  place  which  is 
rightly  his.  He  venerates  him  as  the  Un- 
changeable, Eternal,  Almighty  and  Holy; 
above  the  things  which  he  has  made;  the 


MOTIVE  POWEM.  189 

Source  and  the  End  of  all.  He  sets  him 
apart  from  the  forces  of  the  world ;  he  is  a 
Person,  feeling,  obeying,  commanding,  exe- 
cuting, wise,  just,  good  and  true.  God  is 
in  the  movements  of  nations,  races  and  in- 
stitutions producing  progress  in  law,  serv- 
ice, culture  and  morals.  The  great  experi- 
ences of  the  individual,  his  holier  activi- 
ties and  his  loftier  states  are  due  to  the 
presence  of  God  permeating  his  life.  The 
Scriptures  in  every  part  build  upon  a  spirit 
of  reverence  for  the  holy  God,  the  Infinite, 
Unseen  and  Ineffable. 

This  reverence  finds  direct  outward  ex- 
pression in  praise,  prayer  and  Bible-study. 
The  loftiness,  beauty,  strength  and  heart 
of  God  are  so  overpowering  that,  instinct- 
ively, the  reader^s  lips  frame  words  of 
adoration.  The  psalmists,  prophets  and 
apostles,  in  company  with  the  hosts  of 
heaven,  are  so  constant  and  so  fervent,  that 
he  is  swept  into  harmony  with  them  as 
they  hymn  their  anthems  to  Jehovah's 
glory.  The  nearness  of  God  is  made  so 
manifest  that  he  is  dra^vn  into  contact  with 
the  living  fountain  of  force,  life,  morals 
and  spirit,  in  a  filial  attitude  of  receptivity, 
longing  and  expectancy.  He  is  filled  with 
love  and  holy  fear  in  the  presence  of  life  in 


190  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  TBE  BIBLE. 

man  and  nature.  The  first  glimpses  are 
so  entrancing,  and  the  first  taste  so  sweet, 
that  the  Bible  makes  itself  his  daily  por- 
tion; and  as  the  days  go  by  his  faithful 
guide  in  all  matters  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. 

Creed.  2.     A  connected  system  of  fundamental 

truths  quietly  but  firmly  takes  root  in  the 
mind  of  every  Bible  student.  The  great 
essentials  which  determine  attitudes  and 
acts  are  stamped  upon  the  mind,  and  built 
up  into  its  every  fibre.  Room  is  left  for 
differences  upon  matters  of  mere  opinion, 
but  there  is  a  warp  of  principles,  plain  and 
incontestable,  upon  which  the  web  of  good 
life  is  woven.  In  no  obscure  portion,  the 
interpretation  of  which  may  be  questioned, 
but  on  every  page,  and  as  clear  as  day,  are 
the  ever  recurring  ideas  of  the  sinfulness 
of  all  men,  the  need  of  forbearance,  grace, 
forgiveness  and  renewal,  the  possibilities 
of  manhood,  the  holiness  and  love  of  God, 
the  fact  of  divine  help,  obligation  to  God 
and  man,  the  transcience  of  the  present, 
the  permanence  of  the  future,  and  the  con- 
tinuity of  character. 

Conduct.  3.     Paul,  in  bidding  farewell  to  the  eld- 

ers of  Ephesus,  said,  "  And  now  I  com- 
mend you  to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  his 


MOTIVE  POWER.  191 

grace,  which  is  able  to  build  you  up,  and  to 
give  you  the  inheritance  among  all  them 
that  are  sanctified  "  (Acts  20 :  32).  Writ- 
ing to  Timothy,  he  asserts  that  the  Scrip- 
tures make  a  man  ^'  furnished  completely 
unto  every  good  work"  (2  Tim.  3:17). 
Our  Lord,  praying  for  his  disciples,  said, 
''  Sanctify  them  in  the  truth :  thy  word  is 
truth''  (John  17:  17).  Because  of  intel- 
lectual powers  quickened,  mental  associ- 
ations enriched,  imagination  kindled,  judg- 
ment broadened,  and  executive  energy  of 
the  will  stimulated,  the  new  man  is  won- 
derfully helped  in  self-government,  self- 
direction  and  self-attainment.  The  noble 
ideal,  of  life  revolving  about  a  centre  out- 
side of  self,  awakens  the  dormant  spirit  of 
self-sacrifice,  and  drives  him  into  every 
enterprise  calculated  to  better  the  world, 
making  of  him  a  sheltering  rock  and  an 
ark-bearer  in  the  flood.  The  passive  vir- 
tues of  endurance,  patience,  forgiveness 
and  meekness,  wrought  also  by  the  Bible, 
work  beneficent  influences  on  his  fellows, 
and  rank  him  with  the  immortals.-^ 

In  the  production  of  this  life  of  reverent  Impressive 
worship,  sound  doctrine,  and  good  conduct,     p^gg^' 

1  See  on  "  Righteousness  "   W.  R.  Harper,  Religion  and 
the  Higher  Life,  chap.  xi. 


192  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

the  admonitions  of  the  Bible  against  sin 
are  strongly  buttressed  by  the  repulsive 
acts  of  its  notorious  evil-doers.  Its  right- 
eous precepts  are  mightily  supported  by  the 
examples  of  its  towering  characters. 
Wicked  Two  lives  wrecked  by  sin  we  call  atten- 

tion to  for  illustration. 

The  first  is  King  Saul.  Brightness, 
courage,  hope  and  happiness  mark  his  be- 
ginning; his  career  closes  in  melancholy, 
gloom,  suspicion,  envy  and  distraction. 
From  the  summit  of  greatness  and  power, 
this  richly-gifted  youth  tumbles  down  into 
a  gulf  of  wreckage  and  ruin.  Beginning 
in  the  shepherd's  cot,  he  passes  to  the  king's 
palace,  and  then  his  life  ends  a  miserable 
suicide  amid  the  clang  of  battle.  His 
memory  is  a  monument  of  the  devastation 
wrought  by  self-sufficiency,  impatience, 
and  disobedience. 

The  second  is  Haman.  In  this  man,  one 
of  the  blackest  characters  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, there  is  raised  an  eternal  finger  of 
warning  against  the  so-regarded  simple  sin 
of  vanity.  The  awful  evolution  of  that  sin 
in  character,  and  its  disastrous  issue,  are 
revealed  in  the  life  of  Haman.  From 
vanity  there  arose  jealousy;  jealousy  pro- 
duced hatred;  hatred  developed  into  mal- 


MOTIVE  poweh.  19< 

ice ;  and  malice,  leaping  beyond  all  bounds, 
was  brought  up  with  a  jerk  by  the  moral 
order  of  things,  which  says  to  sin,  "  Thus 
far  but  no  farther.'' 

From  the  long  list  of  worthies,  whose  Upright 
lives  give  such  a  charm  to  the  Book,  we 
select  but  a  few. 

Moses  looms  up  above  his  generation, 
and  forever  stands  as  an  inspiration  for 
succeeding  ages.  Here  was  a  mature,  edu- 
cated and  capable  man  who  forsook  the  lux- 
uries, refinements  and  magnificence  of  the 
imperial  palace,  at  the  call  of  duty,  honor 
and  patriotism.  He  chose,  in  preference 
to  ease,  pleasure  and  softness,  the  life  that 
demanded  endurance.  All  his  great  powers 
were  given  to  the  task  of  creating  a  godly 
nation.  And  God,  whose  presence  he  so 
wonderfully  enjoyed,  at  last  miraculously; 
took  him. 

jSTehemiah,  patriotic,  prayerful,  prudent 
and  positive,  as  he  creates  national  enthusi- 
asm, roots  out  internal  dissensions,  drives 
back  the  attacks  of  enemies,  and  coura- 
geously rebuilds  Jerusalem,  men  are  forced 
to  admire  and  emulate. 

Daniel,  whose  wisdom  led  him  to  behold 
God's  hand  in  the  glorious  past  of  Israel; 
whose  holy  insight  led  him  to  hear  the 


194  ^HE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

songs  of  praise  arise  again  from  the  sacred 
heights  of  Zion;  whose  courage  and  in- 
tegrity made  him  see  the  ruler's  demand 
as  wicked,  and  made  him  scorn  to  do  him 
homage,  puts  trust  and  daring  into  every 
one  who  knows  him. 

Time  would  fail  to  speak  of  Abraham, 
Joseph,  David,  Paul,  John  and  many  more 
whose  names  are  great,  and  the  numberless 
nameless  ones.  One  is  thrilled  with  holy 
virtues  by  such  men  as  Gideon's  three  hun- 
dred, who  "  stood,  every  man  in  his  place,'^ 
and  who  were  "  faint,  yet  pursuing " 
( Judg.  Y,  8)  ;  by  David's  "  mighty  men  of 
valor,  men  trained  for  war,  that  could 
handle  shield  and  spear;  whose  faces  were 
like  the  faces  of  lions,  and  they  were  as 
swift  as  the  roes  upon  the  mountains 
....  had  understanding  of  the  times, 
....  could  set  the  battle  in  array  .... 
and  were  not  of  double  heart  "  (1  Chron. 
12)  ;  and  by  those  who  "had  trial  of  mock- 
ings  and  scourgings,  yea,  moreover  of  bonds 
and  imprisonment:  they  were  stoned,  they 
were  sawn  asunder,  they  were  tempted, 
they  were  slain  with  the  sword :  they  went 
about  in  sheepskins,  in  goatskins;  being 
destitute,  afflicted,  ill-treated  (of  whom  the 


MOTIVE  POWER,  195 

world   was   not  worthy)  "...    (Heb. 
11:36-38). 

Thus  by  living  illustrations  the  Bible 
draws  men  away  from  sin,  and  powerfully 
works  in  them  a  life  of  righteousness. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

COMFORT. 

pAiN"  of  body,  mind  and  heart,  mis- 
fortune and  death  are  universal  experi- 
ences. That  which  proves  to  be  an  anti- 
dote or  a  relief  is  alv^ays  regarded  as  a 
boon.  Of  these  the  Bible  is  chief.  Ernest 
Eenan  called  it  "  the  consolation  of  hu- 
manity.'' Paul  recognized  one  of  its  main 
features  v^hen  he  spoke  of  the  "  comfort  of 
the  Scriptures"  (Rom.  15:4).  Eor  sev- 
eral thousand  years,  generation  after  gen- 
eration have  found  here  the  v^aters  of  rest, 
whose  gentle  murmurs  quell  every  fearsome 
agitation,  soothe  every  painful  pang,  and 
reduce  to  harmony  all  conflicting  thoughts. 

I.     When  Sin  Weighs  Heavily. 
The  crush-       When    one    sees    God's    holiness    over 

mg  sense 

of  sin.       against  his   own   sinfulness;    the   unclean 

generation  about  him  in  need,  and  the  little 

he  has  done  for  them;  the  possibilities  of 

self  unattained,   his  opportunities  squan- 

196 


COMFORT.  197 

dered,  his  ordained  end  unfulfilled;  and 
the  woful  and  increasing  effects  of  his  evil 
deeds  on  others,  beyond  his  control,  the 
sense  of  sin  comes  crushingly.  An  un- 
quenchable fire  and  an  undying  worm  for- 
ever burn  and  gnaw  within.  The  ghosts 
of  memory  haunt  the  trembling  sinner. 
Every  Herod  looks  for  a  return  of  a  John 
the  Baptist,  and  every  Macbeth's  hands 
are  red  with  blood.  Recourse  may  be  had 
to  the  inebriating  cup,  the  maddening 
whirl  of  pleasure,  or  the  frenzy  of  finance, 
but  there  will  be  no  lasting  peace.  Weep- 
ing will  be  renewed,  and  the  gnashing  of 
teeth  will  continue. 

The  Bible  is  the  only  channel  of  relief.  Tme  re- 
Through  it  the  sinner  learns  of  atonement, 
repentance,  faith,  reconciliation,  peace  and 
joy.  It  holds  out  an  offer  of  God's  par- 
doning mercy  for  even  the  worst  of  sin- 
ners. There  is  held  up  from  first  to  last 
the  vision  of  a  God,  "  who  forgiveth  all 
thine  iniquities;  ....  Who  crowneth 
thee  with  lovingkindness  and  tender  mer- 
cies "  (Ps.  103  :  3,  4).  It  holds  up  a  Medi- 
ator between  God  and  men,  "  whom  God 
set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation,  through  faith, 
in  his  blood,  to  show  his  righteousness  be- 
cause of  the  passing  over  of  the  sins  don© 


198  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

aforetime,  in  the  forbearance  of  God " 
(Kom.  3 :  25)  ;  "  who  was  delivered  up  for 
our  trespasses,  and  was  raised  for  our  justi- 
fication "  (Kom.  4:25);  who  "while  we 
were  yet  sinners  ....  died  for  us " 
(Rom.  5:8);  who  "  since  ....  the  chil- 
dren are  sharers  in  flesh  and  blood,  .... 
also  himself  in  like  manner  partook  of  the 
same ;  that  through  death  he  might  bring  to 
nought  him  that  had  the  power  of  death, 
that  is,  the  devil;  and  might  deliver  all 
them  w^ho  through  fear  of  death  were  all 
their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage  "  (Heb. 
2 :  14,  15)  ;  who  "  once  at  the  end  of  the 
ages  hath  he  been  manifested  to  put  away 
sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself  "  (Heb.  9 : 
26).  There  is  unimpeachable  testimony 
brought  forward  as  to  God's  love  for  all 
men;  his  anxiety  for  their  salvation;  his 
ready  forgiveness  of  the  sins  of  every  peni- 
tent and  trusting  soul;  and  his  gentle  res- 
toration of  every  wrecked  and  ruined  life. 
The  repeated  declarations  work  them- 
selves into  the  most  sin-tortured  spirit,  and 
bring  a  soothing,  because  a  healing,  balm. 

"  Come  now,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith 
Jehovah :  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall 
be  as  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool"  (Isa.    1:18);   "I 


COMFORT.  199 

have  redeemed  thee;  I  have  called  thee.  ...  I 
will  be  with  thee.  .  .  I  have  loved  thee.  .  .  I 
will  bring  thy  seed  ....  and  gather  thee"  (Isa. 
43: 1-5);  "  I  am  he  that  blotteth  out  thy  transgres- 
sions" (Isa.  43:25);  "Behold,!  have  graven  thee 
upon  the  palms  of  my  hands"  (Isa.  49:16);  "If 
any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink  '* 
(John  7 : 37) ;  "Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thou 
Shalt  be  saved,  thou  and  thy  house  "  (Acts  16 :  31). 

These  confident  assertions,  sent  forth  to 
all  men  without  discrimination  create  a 
faith-producing  trust  in  God,  which  brings 
peace. 

And,  to  add  to  the  comfort  of  him  who  Assur- 
has  been  relieved  of  the  burden  of  sin,  the 
Bible  extends  the  assurance  that  the  for- 
giving God  is  also  a  keeping  and  a  present 
God. 

"  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee"  (2  Cor.  12:9); 
"And,  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world"  (Matt.  28:20);  "  Who  shall  separate 
us  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  shall  tribulation,  or 
anguish,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or 
peril,  or  sword  ?  .  .  .  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we 
are  more  than  conquerors  through  him  that  loved 
us.  For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  powers,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord  "  (Rom.  8 :  35,  37-39). 


ance. 


200  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

II.     In  the  Anguish  of  Anxiety. 

^°^  1.     The  larder  is  almost  empty,  the  chil- 

goods.  dren  are  sick,  and  work  is  hard  to  find. 
The  father  is  almost  frantic,  with  the  fear 
of  the  pinch  of  poverty,  and  starvation. 
It  may  be  an  old  man  who  cannot  work, 
whose  support  is  gone,  and  who  faces  the 
chills  of  winter.  His  heart  fills  with  dread 
as  the  days  pass.  Perhaps  it  is  a  growing 
maiden,  whose  spirit  fails  at  the  report  of 
her  father's  bankruptcy,  with  its  prospect 
of  coming  penury.  Or  perchance  it  is  a 
man  engrossed  in  business  concerns  who 
cannot  sleep  nights,  worrying  over  his  vast 
interests,  and  the  risks  of  losing  them.  To 
one  and  all  of  the  great  host  of  men, 
women  and  children,  who  are  suffering  in 
their  anxiety  over  earthly  goods,  the  Bible 
can  be  a  comfort. 

**  The  young  lions  do  lack,  and  suffer  hunger; 
But  they  that  seek  Jehovah  shall  not  want  any 
good  thing"  (Ps.  34:10). 

*'  I  have  been  young,  and  now  am  old; 
Yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken, 
Nor  his  seed  begging  bread  "  (Ps.  37 :  25). 

"  Therefore  I  say  unto  you,  Be  not  anxious  for 
your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  or  what  ye  shall  drink ; 
nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall  put  on.  Is  not 
the  life  more  than  the  food,  and  the  body  than  the 
raiment  ?    Behold  the  birds  of  the  heaven,  that  they 


COMFORT.  201 

sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into 
barns;  and  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them. 
Are  not  ye  of  much  more  value  than  they  ?  And 
which  of  you  by  being  anxious  can  add  one  cubit 
unto  the  measure  of  his  life?  And  why  are  ye 
anxious  concerning  raiment  ?  Consider  the  lilies  of 
the  field,  how  they  grow  ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do 
they  spin:  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in 
all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  But 
if  God  doth  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which 
to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall 
he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ? 
Be  not  therefore  anxious,  saying.  What  shall  we 
eat  ?  or.  What  shall  we  drink  ?  or.  Wherewithal 
shall  we  clothed  ?  For  after  all  these  things  do  the 
Gentiles  seek;  for  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth 
that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things.  But  seek  ye 
first  his  kingdom,  and  his  righteousness  ;  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you.  Be  not 
therefore  anxious  for  the  morrow  :  for  the  morrow 
will  be  anxious  for  itself.  Sufficient  unto  the  day 
is  the  evil  thereof."    (Matt.  6:25-34.) 


2.  Conscientious  men  and  women  are  Concern- 
frequently  in  great  anxiety  concerning  ^^^4*^°^" 
habits  of  theirs,  or  certain  acts,  or  contem- 
plated doings.  The  Scriptures  lay  down 
general  principles  for  our  guidance,  and 
there  are  in  it  sufficient  detailed  examples 
to  enable  people  to  walk  uprightly.  There 
are  comprehensive  discussions  of  all  vital 
courses  of  action;  such,  for  example,  as 
those  on  love  (1  Cor.  13),  on  giving  (2 
Cor.  8  and  9),  on  faith  (Heb.  11  and  12), 


202  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  on  speech  (James  3).  In  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount  different  virtues  are  made 
plain.  Everywhere  in  the  Bihle  the  su- 
premacy of  the  things  of  the  spirit  to  the 
things  of  the  flesh  is  insisted  on.  Pleas- 
ure, vs^ealth,  etc.,  are  secondary,  but  they 
are  not  to  be  disregarded.  The  example  of 
the  life  of  Jesus  is  a  corrective  for 
over-asceticism.  His  commands  inculcate 
shrewdness  as  well  as  piety ;  a  masterly  use 
of  all  the  world's  resources  instead  of  a 
monastic  attitude  towards  them.  (Luke 
16:8,  9).  The  reader  will  not  have  much 
difficulty  in  finding  the  course  of  conduct 
to  follow  which  will  allow  peace  of  mind. 
Man  is  not  3.  The  invention  of  the  telescope  has 
cause  the  been  followed  by  great  changes  in  the  ideas 
earth  is.  ^f  j^^gj^  regarding  the  earth.  It  is  no  more 
the  centre  of  the  universe.  It  is  but  a  small 
planet,  in  a  small  system,  out  upon  the  rim 
of  creation.  With  this  change  of  view, 
there  has  with  many  been  a  consequent  dis- 
turbance of  theological  conceptions.  Men 
ask,  "  Of  what  importance  are  the  creatures 
which  live  on  a  little  spot  of  earth  on  the 
far  frontier  of  things  ?  Can  it  be  possible 
that  God  would  bother  about  them  so  much 
as  to  send  his  Son  to  live  as  one  of  them 
in  that  distant,  insignificant  part  for  over 


COMFORT,  203 

thirty  years  ? "  To  men  thus  disturbed 
the  Bible  brings  a  satisfying  answer.  Man 
is  worth  while,  wherever  he  dwells.  The 
decline  in  the  earth's  importance  does  not 
carry  with  it  a  decline  in  man's  supremacy. 

"  When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy 


The    moon    and    the    stars,    which    thou    hast 

ordained ; 
What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 
And  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ? 
For  thou  hast  made  him  but  little  lower  than 

God, 
And  crownest  him  with  glory  and  honor. 
Thou  makest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the 

works  of  thy  hands ; 
Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet : 
All  sheep  and  oxen, 
Yea,  and  the  beasts  of  the  field. 
The  birds  of  the  heavens,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea. 
Whatsoever  passeth  through  the  paths  of  the 

seas."    (Ps.  8:3-8.) 

"The  Spirit  himself  beareth  witness  with  our 
spirit,  that  we  are  children  of  God :  and  if  children, 
then  heirs;  heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with 
Christ ;  if  so  be  that  we  suffer  with  him  that  we 
may  be  also  glorified  with  him  "    (Rom.  8: 16,  17). 

"  Beloved,  now  are  we  children  of  God,  and  it  is 
not  yet  made  manifest  what  we  shall  be.  We  know 
that,  if  he  shall  be  manifested,  we  shall  be  like 
him."  ....  (lJohn3:2.) 

4.     The  relation  of   God  to  evil  is   a  God  is  not 

^  ,  tarnished 

question  oi  sore  perplexity  to  many  who     by  evil. 


204: 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Faith  has 
a  cure 
for  the 
world's 
inequali- 
ties. 


love  him.  Thej  are  afraid  that  the  ex- 
istence of  sin  in  the  world  involves  his 
holiness,  and  brings  a  tarnish  upon  it. 
The  Word  of  God  describes  the  vi^orld  as 
the  best  possible  world,  ^'  And  God  saw 
everything  that  he  had  made,  and,  behold, 
it  was  very  good  "  (Gen.  1 :  31).  The  evil 
was  not  made  by  God.  He  is  shown  in 
every  age,  and  among  every  people,  as 
hating  it,  helping  men  against  it,  and  striv- 
ing to  have  men  destroy  it.  It  is  revealed 
as  a  concomitant  of  freedom  in  limited, 
human  beings.  A  way  of  triumph  over  it, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  is  indicated. 

5.  Still  another  matter,  which  causes 
grave  anxiety,  is  the  apparent  inequalities 
of  men.  The  questions  are  boldly  stated  in 
Job,  the  Psalms  and  Ecclesiastes.  Why  do 
the  righteous  suffer  and  the  wicked  pros- 
per ?  Why  are  not  the  sinful  recom- 
pensed ?  These  questions  are  asked  to-day 
with  as  much  earnestness  as  in  those  days. 

The  Bible  brings  peace  here  too.  The 
element  of  faith  is  brought  to  bear  upon 
men,  so  that  the  appearances  of  life  are 
reversed  in  the  light  and  perspective  of 
eternity.  Suffering  is  transformed  into  a 
discipline  for  greater  glory. 


COMFORT.  205 

**  Behold,  happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth : 
Therefore  despise  not  thou  the  chastening  of  the 

Almighty. 
For  he  maketh  sore,  and  bindeth  up ; 
He    woundeth    and    his    hands    make    whole" 

(Job.  5:17,18).! 

Inequalities  which  continue  through  this 
life  will  be  balanced  by  rewards  and  retri- 
butions in  the  next.  God  is  powerful  and 
just  and  loving.  Mutual  burden-bearing, 
and  suffering  because  of  others,  are  in- 
escapable in  earthly  society.  They  may  be 
blessings  in  disguise.  But  the  individual 
will  bear  his  own  burden  at  the  last,  and 
ultimately  all  will  be  well. 

III.     When  Sore  Pressed  hy  the  World. 

1.     There  come  times  when  the  threat-   Outward 
1      .  /.        •    /•  1  •  1        nusfor- 

ened  circumstances  of  misfortune,  which     tune. 

cause  in  men  the  anguish  of  anxiety,  actu- 
ally develop  into  fact.  Men  lose  all  their 
possessions.  The  107th  Psalm  is  a  boon 
to  all  such.  How  rich  the  Scriptures  are 
in  words  of  solace !  There  is  no  book  like 
it  in  its  power  to  inspire  hope  for  better 
days. 

**  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will 
be  with  thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not 

» See  for  fuller  discussion  of  the  subject  of  aflfliction, 
Job  33  :  19-22  ;   36  : 8-10  ;    Heb.    12 :  5-13;    1  Pet.  4 :  12-19. 


206 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 


Tempta- 
tion. 


Severer 
persecu- 
tions. 


overflow  thee :  when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire, 
thou  Shalt  not  be  burned,  neither  shall  the  flame 
kindle  upon  thee  "  (Isa.  43 : 2). 

"  For  though  the  fig-tree  shall  not  flourish, 
Neither  shall  fruit  be  in  the  vines; 
The  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail. 
And  the  fields  shall  yield  no  food ; 
The  flock  shall  be  cut  off  from  the  fold, 
And  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls: 
Yet  I  will  rejoice  in  Jehovah, 
I  will  joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation"  (Hab. 
3:17,  18). 

2.  The  Saviour  found  in  God's  word 
a  foil  for  the  tempter.  "  It  is  written  " 
was  the  counter-thrust  that  reached  the  Sa- 
tanic vitals.  One  of  the  necessary  parts  of 
the  Christian  armor,  which  Paul  men- 
tioned, was  "  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which 
is  the  Word  of  God."  It  is  a  powerful 
and  effective  aid  against  temptations  of  all 
kinds.  It  never  fails  in  stilling  the 
tempest. 

3.  The  Bible  affords  comfort  for  men 
who  are  persecuted  by  their  fellow  men. 

When  believers  suffer  for  their  beliefs 
their  only  source  of  comfort  is  the  Word. 
The  second  is  "  a  psalm  of  good  heart  in 
hard  times."  It  was  used  by  the  apostles ; 
sung  at  the  siege  of  Jerusalem;  a  favorite 
hymn  in  the  First  Crusade;  found  by 
'Athanasius  to  be  "a  trumpet  call  against 


COMFORT.  207 

the  enemies  of  the  faith ;  "  and  recited 
by  Savonarola  when  Florence  was  in 
her  greatest  peril. ^  The  experiences  of 
such  men  in  Old  Testament  times  as 
Joseph  and  Daniel,  and  their  heroic 
endurance,  will  give  moral  sinews,  that 
enable  a  man  to  stand  fast.  The  ex- 
ample of  Jesus  in  his  trial  and  crucifixion 
has  always  been  the  supreme  support  of  his 
followers,  making  of  the  rack  a  downy  bed. 
It  so  comforted  Paul  that  he  would  not 
change  his  fetters  for  INTero's  purple  and 
gems.  See  2  Cor.  1 :  5.  The  early  Chris- 
tians, as  well  as  Christians  in  all  the  ages 
since,  were  specially  comforted  in  their 
persecutions  by  the  thought  of  the  second 
coming  of  Christ,  and  the  glories  which  are 
to  follow.  Loyalty  to  the  Master,  which 
the  Bible  creates,  will  make  one. think  it 
not  too  much  to  suffer  for  him,  who  suf- 
fered so  much  for  us.  "  They  therefore  de- 
parted from  the  presence  of  the  council, 
rejoicing  that  they  were  counted  worthy  to 
f  suffer  dishonor  for  the  ISTame "  (Acts 
5  :  41).  When  John  Huss  was  about  to  be 
burned,  and  they  placed  the  cap  painted 
with  demons  on  his  head,  he  said,  "  Most 
joyfully  will  I  wear  this  crown  of  shame 

»  C.  L.  Marson,  "  The  Psalms  at  Work,"  p,  8. 


208  '^SE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

for  thy  sake,  O  Jesus,  who  for  me  didst 
wear  a  crown  of  thorns."  The  persecuted 
will  find  a  wreath  of  glory  for  their  brow 
in  such  a  passage  as,  "  They  found  a  man 
of  Cyrene,  Simon  by  name :  him  they  com- 
pelled to  go  with  them,  that  he  might  bear 
his  cross"   (Matt.   27:32).^ 

Envy,  4.     There    is    that    in    the    Scriptures 

malice  .        . 

and  which  is  able  to  make  one  bear  cheerfully 

caumny.  ^ncharitableness  in  every  form,  whether  it 
be  envy,  malice,  or  calumny.  There  are 
illustrations  of  the  persecution  of  the  right- 
eous in  these  ways,  and  their  attitude. 
Our  Lord  was  spoken  of  as  a  deceiver,  blas- 
phemer, wine-bibber,  glutton,  traitor,  and 
demoniac.  The  manner  in  which  he  bore 
his  persecutions  is  given.  The  fact  that 
Jesus  predicted  persecution  is  a  pledge  that 
he  knows,  feels  and  supports  the  perse- 
cuted ;  and  this  is  a  consolation.  ^^  If  they 
have  called  the  master  of  the  house  Beelze- 
bub, how  much  more  them  of  his  house- 
hold "  (Matt.  10:25).  His  beatitude 
(Matt.  5 :  10-12)  is  our  marching  song. 
Using  Farrar's  words,  the  Bible  "  trans- 
forms sorrow  into  triumph;  the  crown  of 
thorns  into  a  crown  of  stars;  the  Cross 
into  a  glory  and  a  rod  of  power.     It  turns 

*  J.  Hamilton,  The  Lamp  and  the  Lantern,  p.  117. 


COMFORT.  209 

martyrdom  into  rapture,   and  malediction 
into  a  beatitude." 


IV.     For  the  Pelican  of  the  Wilderness, 

1.  Loneliness  is  the  lot  of  every  right-  loneliness 
eous  man  in  this  world  of  sin.  There  is  ual  ex- 
the  loneliness  of  spiritual  experience.  In  Penence. 
the  prayerful  communion  of  the  spirit  with 
God;  in  the  rapture  of  the  visions  of  serv- 
ice, near  and  world-wide,  of  "  the  king  in 
his  beauty  "  and  the  "  land  that  reacheth 
afar ;  "  in  the  ecstasy  of  love,  there  is  the 
pain  of  the  incommunicable.  The  human 
soul,  though  it  might  be  inexpressibly  en- 
tranced by  the  experiences  of  an  hour  on 
an  Arctic  peak  amidst  the  eternal  solitudes, 
would  yet  be,  because  it  is  human,  crushed 
by  the  oppressiveness  of  the  silence  never 
disturbed  by  any  warble,  and  the  remote- 
ness never  visited  by  any  wing.  The  place 
where  every  man  finally  assumes  his  re- 
sponsibilities definitely,  and  determines  his 
life  purpose,  is  a  wilderness. 

There  is  the  loneliness  of  those  who  are  Reformers, 
misunderstood  and  unsupported.     The  re- 
former's motives  are  often  misinterpreted. 
He  has  the  sense  of  being  forsaken.    Others 
lack  his  enthusiasm,  and  hesitate  to  uphold 


210  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

his  hands.     He  has  to  tread  the  wine-press 
alone,  till  his  garments  are  blood-red. 
Unre-  T^g  loneliness  of  unrequited  love  is  an- 

quited 

love  hard  other  Condition  needing  comfort.  Mission- 
^  ^^^'  aries,  ministers,  parents,  sisters  and 
brothers  feel  it,  when  they  lovingly  yearn 
for  the  salvation  of  the  indifferent;  rulers 
feel  it,  and  the  servants  of  the  people,  when 
their  self-sacrifice  is  recompensed  with 
thoughtless  and  base  ingratitude. 

To  all  such  the  Bible  brings  comfort. 
It  shows  the  glory  of  the  life  that  is  lonely 
because  uniquely  great.  The  poet,  the  phi- 
losopher, and  the  saint  have  their  compen- 
sating joys.  It  presents  the  example  of 
Jesus,  praying  alone,  struggling  alone,  en- 
during alone,  and  triumphing  alone;  but 
these  are  only  the  dark  background.  The 
real  portrait  is  that  of  a  Victor,  waving  his 
sword  over  the  prostrate  form  of  a  van- 
quished enemy,  and  rapturously  exclaim- 
ing, "  It  is  finished." 

Away  from       2.     The    Bible    provides    comfort    for 
home. 

those  separated  from  their  friends  by  dis- 
tance, years,  and  change.  What  visions  of 
early  days  it  brings  back  to  us,  when  we 
are  severed  far  from  home  and  brothers, 
and  the  parents  we  loved  dearly  lie  beneath 
the  sod!    We  are  once  again  surrounding 


COMFORT,  211 

tlie  evening  table.  The  psalm  is  sung. 
We  now  find  the  chapter,  and  read  verse 
by  verse  in  rotation.  We  smile  yet  over  a 
mispronounced  name.  The  memory  gives 
pain  in  one  sense,  yet  provides  more  than 
relief  in  the  sense  of  sweet  companionship. 
It  carries  us  away  to  some  of  the  dearest 
scenes  and  friends  of  time.^ 

What  a  comfort  this  book  is  in  bereave-  Bereave- 
ment !     When  the  night  closes  in  on  one     ^^^ ' 
because  the  light  of  his  life  has  been  taken 
away,  what  can  he  do  ? 

In  the  Scriptures  there  are  instructive 
examples  of  the  way  he  should  act.  It 
shows  him  Aaron  with  bowed  head  and 
silent  tongue  when  his  two  sons  were 
stricken  with  death ;  the  woman  of  Shunem 
answering  Gehazi's  question,  "  Is  it  well 
with  the  child  ? "  with  the  words  "  It  is 
well,"  though  her  heart  was  breaking,  be- 
cause her  son,  at  the  time,  was  lying  in  an 
upper  chamber  dead;  and  Ezekiel  in  his 
sorrow,  submissive  and  still. 

In  that  dark  hour  the  touch  of  a  friend's 
elbow  is  a  God-sent  support,  but  it  cannot 
fully  cure.  Through  the  Bible  the  greatest 
consolation  comes.     It  speaks  of  a  kind 

*  See  R.  E.  Prothero,  The  Psalms  in  Human  Life,  pp.  4, 6. 


212  THE  MAGNETIS2I  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

purpose,  continued  existence,  resurrection, 
reunion,  and  glory. 

**  Jehovah  gave,  and  Jehovah  hath  taken  away; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  Jehovah  "  (Job  1 :  21). 

"  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions;  if  it 
were  not  so,  I  would  have  told  you ;  for  I  go  to  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you  "  (John  14 : 2). 

"lam  the  resurrection,  and  the  life:  he  that  be- 
lieveth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live ;  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never 
die  "  (John  11 :  25,  26). 

"  These  that  are  arrayed  in  the  white  robes,  who 
are  they,  and  whence  came  they  ?  .  .  .  These  are 
they  that  come  out  of  the  great  tribulation,  and  they 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  are  they  before  the 
throne  of  God ;  and  they  serve  him  day  and  night  in 
his  temple :  and  he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall 
spread  his  tabernacle  over  them.  They  shall  hunger 
no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more ;  neither  shall  the 
sun  strike  upon  them,  nor  any  heat :  for  the  Lamb 
that  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  be  their 
shepherd,  and  shall  guide  them  unto  fountains  of 
waters  of  life:  and  God  shall  wipe  away  every  tear 
from  their  eyes  "  (Rev.  7:13-17). 

V.     When  the  Arm  of  Flesh  Faileth, 

Sickness.  1.     In  the  time  of  physical  weakness, 

when  human  power  comes  face  to  face  with 
its  own  weakness  and  insufficiency;  when 
the  best  food  cannot  tempt  the  palate ;  when 
the  best  air  cannot  conjure  into  health  the 
wasting  lungs,  what  can  comfort  ?    Is  there 


COMFORT,  213 

any  effectual  antidote  for  the  bitter  in- 
gredient of  the  cup  of  physical  suffering? 
Is  there  anything  to  assuage  the  misery 
when  the  tramp  of  the  foot  of  death  is 
audible?  It  cannot  be  found  in  the  latest 
volume  of  essays,  history  or  fiction.  It  can 
be  found  in  the  Bible.  The  experiences  of 
the  faithful  which  it  records  implant  new 
vigor,  "  My  flesh  and  my  heart  f  aileth ; 
But  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and 
my  portion  forever"  (Ps.  T3:26).  The 
promise,  "  Jehovah  will  support  him  upon 
the  couch  of  languishing:  Thou  makest  all 
his  bed  in  his  sickness"  (Ps.  41:3),  is 
encouraging.  Such  a  Psalm  as  the  hun- 
dred and  twenty-first  sends  strength  and 
peace  into  the  troubled  heart.^ 

2.  In  many  experiences  all  through  Death, 
life  men  need  comfort,  but  above  all  when 
life  on  earth  is  closing,  and  they  are  mov- 
ing down  into  the  lampless  valley.  Then 
it  is  that  the  Bible  gives  supreme  consola- 
tion. It  affords  "  provision  for  the  last 
journey  through  the  wilderness,  and  pas- 
sage over  Jordan."  The  soft  breathings  of 
the  psalmist,  the  gentle  words  of  our 
Saviour,  the  confident  tones  of  the  apostle, 
and  the  entrancing  vision  of  the  apocalyp- 

1  See  J.  Hamilton,  Lamp  and  Lantern,  pp.  124-126. 


214  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

tic  seer  steady  the  feet  and  clarify  the 
sight.  The  heavenward  traveler  can  see 
One  like  unto  the  Son  of  man  walking  hy 
his  side ;  and  beyond  the  swelling  flood  rise 
the  sweet  scenes  of  the  l^ew  Jerusalem, — 
the  pearly  gates,  the  crystal  river,  the  tree 
of  life,  the  elders  round  the  throne,  and  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand,  dressed  in 
robes  of  white,  singing,  "  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb  that  hath  been  slain  to  receive  the 
power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  might, 
and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing  "  (Kev. 
5:12). 

The  sting  of  death  is  removed  by  the 
victory  which  the  eternal  life  bestowed  by 
Christ  gives.  There  is  an  assurance  of 
immortality  in  the  records  of  Enoch  and 
Elijah,  who  did  not  taste  death;  and  of 
Samuel  who  though  absent  was  still  alive. 
Isaiah  teaches  that  the  dead  live  and  are 
interested  in  the  works  of  those  on  earth. 
(Isa.  14:9,  10).  Daniel  in  the  twelfth 
chapter,  and  Paul  in  1  Cor.  15,  affirm  im- 
mortality and  a  resurrection.  Identity, 
recognition,  memory,  reunion,  knowledge, 
faith,  hope,  love,  etc.,  are  spoken  of.  But 
above  all  comforts  is  the  confidence  begot- 
ten by  the  words  of  our  Master,  and  the 
truth  taught  by  his  own  resurrection. 


COMFORT.  216 

John  Knox  on  bis  death-bed  had  1  Cor. 
15  read  to  him.  He  also  called  for  John 
lY  remarking,  "  Since  there  I  have  cast 
mj  anchor."  He  believed  that  the  prayer, 
"  Father,  I  desire  that  they  also  whom 
thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me  where  I  am, 
that  they  may  behold  my  glory  "  .  .  .  . 
(v.  24),  would  be  answered.  Edward 
Irving  quoted  the  twenty-third  Psalm  in 
Hebrew  shortly  before  he  died.^ 

"  The  Lord's  my  Shepherd,  I'll  not  want. 
He  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green :  he  leadeth  me 
The  quiet  waters  by. 

My  soul  he  doth  restore  again; 

And  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness, 

Ev'n  for  his  own  Name's  sake. 

Yea,  though  I  walk  in  death's  dark  vale. 

Yet  will  I  fear  none  ill ; 
For  thou  art  with  me,  and  thy  rod 

And  staff  me  comfort  still. 

My  table  thou  hast  furnished 

In  presence  of  my  foes ; 
My  head  thou  dost  with  oil  anoint. 

And  my  cup  overflows. 

Goodness  and  mercy  all  my  life 

Shall  surely  follow  me : 
And  in  God's  house  for  evermore 

My  dwelling-place  shall  be." 

»  Marson,  The  Psalms  at  Woik,  p.  33. 


CHAPTER  XL 

JESUS   CHRIST. 

The  Bible  has  many  singularly  attract- 
ive features,  but  the  naost  charming  of  all 
is  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  the  central  figure 
of  the  Book.  It  revolves  about  him.  He 
is  its  theme.  Our  words  cannot  do  justice 
to  the  portrait;  at  the  most  they  can  but 
send  the  reader  back  to  the  Scriptures  to 
gaze  again  at  our  adorable  Lord. 

I.     His  Wonderful  Personality. 

1.  In  this  matchless  life  there  is  the 
picture  of  man  at  his  best.     This  is  "  the 
Son  of  man/'  the  chiefest  of  the  race. 
A  real  There  were  the  unmistakable  marks  of 

real  humanity  in  him.  He  had  the  limi- 
tations, weaknesses  and  necessities  of  the 
finite  being.  He  ate,  slept,  hungered, 
thirsted,  and  became  fatigued..  He  got 
knowledge  through  the  brain  and  senses. 
He  disclaimed  knowledge  of  certain  facts. 
He  was  at  times  disappointed.  He  was 
216 


man. 


JESUS  CHRIST.  217 

dependent  on  God  for  strength  and  growth. 
Communion  with  the  Father  in  prayer  was 
a  necessity,  and  human  sympathy  was  a 
comfort  to  him.  "  Would  ye  also  go 
away  ? ''  and  '^  Could  ye  not  watch  with  me 
one  hour  ? ''  are  questions  which  show  a 
need  of  the  touch  of  the  elbow  in  times  of 
loneliness. 

But  the  limitations  were  not  human  im- 
perfections.    His  manhood  was  perfect.^ 

In  the  Gospels  we  get  a  glimpse  of  what  Intel- 
Bishop  Hendrix  calls  ^'  insight,  farsight  power, 
and  foresight  "  at  their  highest.  He  under- 
stood what  was  in  man,  and  was  able  to  set 
it  forth  clearly,  vividly  and  concisely.  He 
knew  man  in  all  his  relations  and  duties. 
He  had  philosophic  insight  into  the  nature 
and  foundation  of  the  world.  He  presented 
anew  the  way  of  regarding  the  universe  as 
the  utterance  of  God,  his  medium  of  rev- 
elation. He  was  both  original  and  pro- 
found, in  his  claim  that  truth  is  not  a 
merely  intellectual  thing,  but  a  living  thing. 
It  is  life,  and  hence  makes  a  moral  claim 
on  man,  and  obeyed  gives  freedom.  He 
went  beyond  all  who  preceded  him,  when 
he  treated  the  soul  and  body  as  a  unit,  as 
inseparable  parts  of  self.     The  body  in  its 

*  See  Brooks,  The  Infltience  ofjesiu,  pp.  36  flf,  86  flf,  154  fiF, 
219  ff ,  on  Jesus'  powers. 


218 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Emotional 
power. 


Will 
power. 


essence  is  never  parted  from  the  soul.  It  is 
to  be  redeemed  and  glorified  as  well  as  the 
soul.  There  is  a  resurrection  for  the  body 
which  is  glorious,  just  as  there  is  a  glorious 
immortality  for  the  soul.  Our  admiration 
is  called  forth,  not  only  by  this  wonderful 
depth  which  is  so  hard  for  us  to  follow,  but 
by  the  remarkable  alertness  with  which 
he  forestalled  his  opponents,  exposed 
their  fallacies  and  wrong  attitudes,  and 
confused  them  with  rapid-fire  questions. 
His  practical  wisdom  in  providing  a  way 
to  carry  on  the  gospel  is  marvelous. 

Jesus  showed  the  rarest  emotional  pow- 
ers. He  was  most  sensitive  and  responsive 
to  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  life.  His  revul- 
sion of  feelings  in  the  presence  of  evil, 
and  his  delight  in  the  good,  show  per- 
fectly developed  moral  sensibilities.  His 
cheerfulness,  optimism  and  spontaneous 
sympathy  reveal  the  social  side  rounded 
out.  Even  the  physical  side  of  his  life 
shows  a  perfect  harmony  with  the  world 
of  joy  and  pain. 

The  symmetry  of  his  powers  makes 
him  unique  among  men.  The  energy  of 
his  will  is  no  less  noticeable  than  his  in- 
tellect and  emotions.  He  had  self-assert- 
iveness,    resolution,    courage,    vigor    and 


JESUS  CHRIST, 


219 


power  at  their  utmost.  The  inholding 
powers  of  self-restraint,  prudence,  caution 
and  patience  he  also  possessed  in  their 
fulness. 

He  was  a  perfect  Man;  perfect  in  his  He  was 
individuality  and  in  his  relations;  perfect 
in  his  parts  and  in  his  aims.  He  lived 
ahove  self  and  race,  above  conditions  and 
time.  His  humanity  was  a  perfect  vehicle 
for  the  Holy  Spirit. 

2.  But  we  gaze  in  greater  wonder  be- 
cause the  Bible  speaks  of  him  as  "  the  Son 
of  God." 

There  is   an  instinctive  seekins;  for   a  The  Old 

Testa- 
Divine  Redeemer  in  the  Old  Testament. 

Jesus  and  his  apostles  claim  that  he  is 

the  One  the  prophets  sought. 

In  God's  address  to  the  serpent,  "  He 

shall    bruise    thy    head"     (Gen.    3:15), 

Adam  heard  of  One  coming.     !N^oah  heard 

of  One  that  was  to  "  dwell  in  the  tents  of 

Shem"    (Gen.   9:27).     Abraham  looked 

forward  to  One  in  whom   '^  shall   all  the 

families  of  the  earth  be  blessed  "    (Gen. 

12:3).     Jacob  was  persuaded  that 

*'  The  sceptre  sliall  not  depart  from  Judah, 
Nor  the  ruler's  staff  from  between  his  feet, 
Until  that  he  come  whose  it  is, 
And  unto  him  shall  the  obedience  of  the  peoples 
be  "  (Gen.  49 :  10,  Syriac  Version). 


ment 
had  an 
instinct 
for 
Christ. 


220 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  TEE  BIBLE. 


Jesus  and 
apostles 
claimed 
its  fulfil- 
ment. 


Moses  told  Israel,  ^'  Jehovali  thy  God  will 
raise  up  unto  thee  a  prophet  from  the  midst 
of  thee,  of  thy  hrethren  like  unto  me ;  unto 
him  ye  shall  hearken"  (Deut.  18:15). 
To  David  the  promise  was  given  that  God 
would  "  establish  the  throne  of  his  king- 
dom forever"  (2  Sam.  7:13).  Isaiah 
looked  for  a  suffering  "  Servant ;  "  Jere- 
miah, for  "  the  Lord  our  righteousness ;  " 
Ezekiel,  for  a  "  Shepherd ;  "  Daniel,  for 
'^  One  like  unto  a  son  of  man ;  "  Haggai, 
for  "  the  Desire  of  all  nations ;  "  Zechariah, 
for  "  the  Branch;  "  and  Malachi,  for  "  the 
messenger." 

In  the  Old  Testament,  as  we  have  shown 
in  Chapter  VIII,  the  personality,  suffer- 
ings, teachings,  etc.,  of  the  Messiah  were 
foretold. 

Jesus  and  his  apostles  claimed  that  the 
whole  Old  Testament  referred  to  him. 
Upon  reading  a  passage  from  Isaiah  in  the 
synagogue  at  E'azareth,  he  said,  "  To-day 
hath  this  scripture  been  fulfilled  in  your 
ears"  (Luke  4:21).  Luke  records  that 
when  he  walked  with  the  perplexed  dis- 
ciples on  the  Emmaus  road  that  "  begin- 
ning from  Moses  and  from  all  the  prophets 
he  interpreted  to  them  in  all  the  scriptures 
the  things  concerning  himself"  (24:27). 


JESUS  CHRIST.  221 

On  the  first  visit  to  the  eleven  after  his 
resurrection,  he  said,  ^'  These  are  my 
words  which  I  spake  unto  you  ....  that 
all  things  must  needs  be  fulfilled,  which 
are  written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  the 
prophets,  and  the  psalms,  concerning  me  " 
(Luke  24:44).  Matthew  and  John  refer 
often  to  incidents  in  the  life  of  Jesus  which 
fulfil  prophecy. 

Claims  for  his  pre-existence  and  equal-  Pre-exist- 
ity  with  God  were  also  made  by  himself  equality 
and  the  apostles.  The  apostles  further  af-  ^^^^^^^ 
firmed  that  through  him  all  things  were 
created.  "  Before  Abraham  was  bom,  I 
am"  (John  8:58);  "And  now.  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with 
the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was"  (John  17:5);  "I  and  the 
Father  are  one  "  (John  10 :  30)  ;  "  In  the 
beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God  "  (John 
1:1);  "Of  whom  is  Christ  as  concerning 
the  flesh,  who  is  over  all,  God  blessed  for 
ever"  (Rom.  9:5);  "who  is  the  image 
of  the  invisible  God,  the  firstborn  of  all 
creation ;  for  in  him  were  all  things  created, 
in  the  heavens  and  upon  the  earth,  things 
visible  and  things  invisible,  whether 
thrones  or  dominions  or  principalities  or 


222 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Titles  and 


All  claims 
snbstau- 
tiated. 


He  was 
sinless. 


powers;  all  things  have  been  created 
through  him,  and  unto  him;  and  he  is  be- 
fore all  things,  and  in  him  all  things  con- 
sist." 1 

The  titles  and  names  given  to  him,  in 
both  the  Old  and  ISTew  Testaments,  give 
an  idea  of  the  superhuman  character 
attributed  to  him  by  the  various  writers. 
There  are  no  less  than  eighty  of  these 
titles  and  names.  More  than  seventy  of 
them  cannot  be  applied  to  man. 

All  claims  are  substantiated  by  his  life. 
He  fulfilled  all  prophecy.  We  see  in  him 
what  we  worship  in  God.  We  can  imagine 
no  excellence  in  God  that  was  not  in  Christ. 
It  would  be  strange  if  all  that  was  claimed 
for  him  were  not  so. 

His  birth,  works,  resurrection  and  ascen- 
sion have  about  them  the  atmosphere  of  the 
supernatural,  but  it  is  a  congruous  whole, 
for  in  him  there  was  the  miracle  of  char- 
acter. He  was  sinless.  "  My  meat  is  to 
do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me  "  (John 
4:34);  "I  do  always  the  things  that  are 
pleasing  to  him"  (John  8:29).  The 
apostles  call  him  holy,  just,  pure,  spotless 

»See  also  Mt.  7:21-23;  10:32,  83;  11:27;  13:40-43; 
16:13-18;  19:27-29;  23:8-10;  25:31-33;  28:16-20;  Mk. 
2:5-12;  12:1-9;  13:^4-32;  14:60-64  ;  Lk.  2  :  49  ;  John  1 : 49-51  ; 
8:13-18;  4:11-12;  5:16-47;  6:25-66;  8:12-59; 
11  :  22-39  :  12 :  25-27  ;  13  :  44-50 ;  14  ;  16 : 1-5 :  20 :  17. 


JESUS  CHRIST.  223 

and  without  guile.  "  But  ye  denied  tlie 
Holy  and  Eighteous  One  "  (Acts  3 :  14)  ; 
"  who  did  no  sin,  neither  was  guile  found  in 
his  mouth  "  (1  Pet.  2 :  22)  ;  "  Jesus  Christ 
the  righteous  "  (1  John  2:1).  The  male- 
factor on  the  cross,  the  centurion  and  Judas 
confessed  that  Jesus  was  sinless. 

As  we  look  at  him  we  are  constrained  to 
say  with  Thomas,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God." 
We  do  not  doubt  that  all  things  were  made 
and  are  upheld  by  him,  Atlantic,  Rockies, 
moon,  sun  and  stars.  We  do  not  wonder 
at  the  confession  of  the  apostles,  martyrs 
and  reformers.  We  have  no  fear  that  all 
knees  will  bow  to  him,  American,  African 
and  Chinese.  We  believe  in  his  promise, 
"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,"  and  we  pray. 

Consistent  portrait,  consistent  in  its  in-  Aeon- 
consistency,  but  oh,  how  wonderful!   Har-     ^ho°e^ 
nack    says,    "  Christ^s    personality    is    his     ti^o^gh 
secret  and  no  psychology  can  fathom  it." 
The  limitations  of  the  finite,  the  perfection 
of  humanity,  and  the  glory  of  God,  all  in 
one.     The  world  has  stood  transfixed  be- 
fore this  compound  picture  of  the  Child  in 
the  manger,  the  Man  who  spake  as  never 
man  spake,  and  him  who  hushed  the  tem- 
pest and  bade   the  boisterous   waves   of 


224  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE, 

Galilee  be  still.  And  there  forever  it  will 
stand,  and  while  it  stands  it  worships. 

11.     His  Lovable  Character, 
His  strong       There  was  not  a  thorn,   not  a   rousrh, 

words  .        .  .         .  .   .  .    _    °    ' 

born  of      jutting  pomt  m  the  disposition  of  Jesus. 

right!^^  He  was  never  grufF,  never  cruel,  never  un- 
kind, in  look  or  word.  It  is  true  that  men's 
good  demanded  that  he  should  tell  them 
plainly  what  thej  lacked.  His  eye  flashed 
at  times  with  righteous  indignation.  He 
denounced  hypocrisy.  But  he  loved  men. 
Those  occasions  on  which  he  may  seem  to 
have  used  harsh  words  were  forced  upon 
him  by  necessity.  The  language  was 
strong,  but  it  was  not  unkind.  We  must 
see  the  look  in  his  face,  and  hear  the  tone 
of  his  voice,  to  appreciate  the  spirit  of 
love  behind  all  his  words. 
Tender-  1.     His    was    a    spirit    of    tenderness. 

How  we  are  drawn  to  him  by  the  little 
spontaneous  touches,  the  thoughtful  and 
graceful  acts  which  show  this  spirit!  It 
dominated  his  teachings;  he  had  regard 
for  men's  immaturity,  and  refused  to  over- 
load them.  It  revealed  itself  in  his  mira- 
cles; the  changing  of  the  water  into  wine 
was  to  spare  friends  the  feeling  of  morti- 
fication.     It   came   out   in    his   ministry 


ness. 


JESUS  CHRIST.  225 

everywhere;  he  was  tender  towards  the 
doubter;  he  was  kind  to  the  children;  he 
pitied  the  poor;  he  wept  with  Mary  and 
Martha.  It  was  not  crushed  out  by  his 
last  agony;  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane 
he  gratuitously  healed  the  ear  of  Malchus ; 
in  the  judgment-hall  he  looked  on  Peter 
with  a  sad  eye;  on  the  cross  he  affection- 
ately remembered  his  mother. 

The  beauty  of  the  patient  spirit  that  was  Patience, 
in  him  grips  us.  With  what  loving  pa- 
tience he  withstood  the  unbelief  and 
scoffs  of  his  brethren  and  the  men  of  E'az- 
areth!  He  was  never  hasty  towards  the 
disciples,  dull  of  understanding.  The 
abuse  of  rude  soldiers  did  not  cause  him 
to  lose  self-control.  "  He  was  oppressed, 
yet  when  he  was  afflicted  he  opened  not  his 
mouth ;  as  a  lamb  that  is  led  to  the  slaugh- 
ter, and  as  a  sheep  that  before  its  shearers 
is  dumb,  so  he  opened  not  his  mouth  '*  (Isa. 
53:7). 

The  inexpressible  tenderness  and  pa-  Softness 
tience  of  Jesus  are  attractive  because  there  strength, 
was  not  a  trace  of  weakness  or  cowardice  in 
them.  They  were  the  expression  of  the 
highest  manliness.  A  vision  of  his 
strength  will  reveal  qualities,  not  only 
lovable  in  themselves,  but  which  will  give 


226 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


Fortitude. 


Physical 
and 
moral 
courage. 


an  inexpressible  charm  to  the  softer  side 
of  his  nature. 

2.  He  was  a  man  of  great  fortitude. 
With  a  noble  contempt  for  worldly  great- 
ness, he  braved  the  fortunes  of  a  low  con- 
dition without  a  murmur.  The  incredu- 
lity and  reproach  of  men  he  endured  with- 
out an  expression  or  feeling  of  bitterness. 
He  faced  his  trial,  and  suffered  all  the 
indignities  which  were  heaped  upon  him, 
without  flinching.  He  went  to  his  death 
serenely,  though  he  had  to  go  alone.  Con- 
sidering the  exquisite  sensitiveness  of  his 
feelings,  no  wonder  that  his  fortitude 
holds  the  world.  And  it  holds  the  world 
because  it  was  due  to  the  consciousness  of 
a  life  within,  which  could  not  be  defeated, 
and  not  to  mere  Stoic  endurance.  It  was 
the  fortitude  of  goodness. 

See  the  tender  and  patient  man  drive 
the  money-changers  from  the  temple,  un- 
dauntingly  reprove  sinners  to  their  face, 
boldly  go  up  to  Jerusalem  to  the  Passover 
at  the  risk  of  his  life.  There  was  no  fear 
of  physical  injury  in  him.  ISTor  did  he 
lack  moral  courage.  At  the  beginning  of 
his  ministry  with  a  grand  daring  he  flung 
his  moral  standard  to  the  breeze,  in  his 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  challenged  men 


JEStJS  CHRIST.  ^2? 

of  every  class  to  it.  That  standard  was 
never  lowered.  In  the  presence  of  the 
great  teacher  Nicodemns,  he  refused  to 
play  with  religious  shibboleths  that  might 
please  the  rabbi.  He  never  made  friends 
at  the  expense  of  the  truth.  The  sublimity 
of  that  courage  he  displayed  in  his  re- 
markable stand  against  those  who  in  their 
enthusiasm  for  him  would  make  him 
king;  in  his  life-long  refusal  to  identify 
himself  with  either  the  authorities  or  the 
mob;  and  in  his  utter  disregard  of  public 
customs  which  were  inconsistent  with 
righteousness.  His  courage  was  not  fool- 
hardiness  nor  blind,  dogged  tenacity;  it 
was  born  of  inflexible  loyalty  to  holiness. 

The  world  ever  comes  back  to  Jesus  for  The 
fresh  inspiration  and  healing.     It  sees  in     i^gpira- 

him  the  only  attitude  towards  men  which     tio^  ^"^^ 

-      healing, 
is  truly  lovable.    Out  in  the  hard  world  of 

conflict,   men   and   women  become   bitter, 

and  hasty,  and  cruel  as  they  are  overlooked, 

misjudged   and   battered.      But   ever    and 

anon  they  come  to  themselves,  and  open 

their  Bibles  to  the  portrait  of  the  Master. 

There  he  stands,  sweet  and  strong;  sweet 

because  he  was  strong,  and  sweet  because 

Lis  strength  could  afford  to  be  sweet.     He 

speaks,  and  his  word  is  "  Peace." 


years. 


228  "^HE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

III.     His  Sufferings  and  Tragic  Death. 

"  He  was  despised,  and  rejected  of  men; 
a  man  of  sorrows,  and  acquainted  with 
grief,"  wrote  Isaiah.  This  view  of  Jesus 
makes  the  world  with  bowed  head,  moist- 
ened eyes,  and  throbbing  heart,  stand  si- 
lently before  him.  There  is  in  the  soul  of 
all  men  enough  of  the  graces  of  sympathy 
and  justice  to  draw  them  to  contemplate 
this  tragic  Life  with  the  mingled  emotions 
of  sadness  and  indignation. 
Early  1.     In  his  early  years  Jesus  was  a  suf- 

ferer. When  but  a  child  the  jealous  Herod 
heard  about  him,  and  sought  his  life. 
He  had  to  flee  to  Egypt  and  live  the  life 
of  an  exile.  Though  the  record  bears  no 
testimony  to  the  fact,  w^e  are  constrained 
to  believe  that  all  his  years  at  Kazareth 
were  not  passed  without  suffering.  Indeed 
we  know  that  his  brethren  did  not  sympa- 
thize with  him.  We  may  well  imagine 
their  taunts.  We  can  hear  the  scoff  of  the 
neighbors'  boys,  when  the  sinless  Youth 
refused  to  join  in  their  evil  deeds.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  his  attitude  of  non- 
resistance,  of  turning  the  other  cheek,  and 
of  going  the  second  mile,  won  for  him 
many  an  imposition  on  their  part.  His 
noble  spirit  must  have  been  hurt. 


ministry. 


JESUS  CHRIST.  229 

2.  As  he  came  to  undertake  his  life-  The  wil- 

derness, 
work,  there  came  the  keen  struggle  of  temp- 
tation. He  had  to  break  all  cords  that 
would  draw  him,  at  the  expense  of  moral 
integrity,  to  the  fulfilment  of  physical  de- 
sires, the  pandering  to  popular  applause, 
and  the  winning  of  worldly  power.  Here 
too  was  a  painful  battle. 

3.  These  sufferings  were  largely  be-  Public 
cause  of  self.  When  his  ministry  began, 
and  all  through  it,  he  suffered  because  of 
others.  The  pains  which  are  due  to  per- 
sonal inconvenience,  intellectual  difficulties, 
or  definite  determination  of  life-work  and 
methods,  are  almost  as  nothing,  when  com- 
pared with  the  pangs  which  shoot  through 
a  righteous  soul  touched  by  the  moral  dark- 
ness, the  ingratitude,  the  indifference  and 
the  wicked  persistency  in  sin,  of  the  world. 
There  is  no  doubt  Jesus  felt  this  in  a 
measure  in  his  preparatory  years,  but  it 
came  upon  him  in  all  its  stinging  awful- 
ness  during  his  three  years  of  public  min- 
istry. He  came  into  actual  touch  with  the 
dulness  and  worldliness  of  disciples  and 
others.  Murmurs  and  complaints,  false 
judgments,  base  ingratitude  and  crafty 
snares  wrung  the  heart  of  the  Eedeemer. 
The  world  "  esteemed  him  not"    He  never 


230  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

wept  over  his  own  hardships,  but  on  the 
brow  of  Olivet  one  day  he  wept  for  the 
sins  of  Jerusalem. 

Geth-  4.  There  is  mystery  about  Gethsemane. 

We  may  question  as  to  the  causes,  but  we 
cannot  doubt  the  fact  of  indescribable  an- 
guish. He  wrestled.  His  soul  was  "  ex- 
ceeding sorrowful  even  unto  death.'^  "  His 
sweat  became  as  it  were  great  drops  of 
blood  falling  down  upon  the  ground." 
"V\Tio  can  fathom  the  enormity  of  the  agony 
of  the  world's  Saviour  deciding  to  die  for 
the  salvation  of  the  world  ? 

Arrest,  5.     The  blackness  and  loneliness  of  the 

the^'V^r^  arrest,  the  trial  and  "  the  sorrowful  way!  " 
Dolorosa,  jjjg  gQ^j  ^^s  pierced  through  by  the  trait- 
orous act  of  Judas.  "  All  the  disciples  left 
him  and  fled.''  "  Peter  followed  him  afar 
off,"  and  then  denied  him.  He  "looked 
and  there  was  none  to  help."  He  "  won- 
dered that  there  was  none  to  uphold." 
False  witnesses  testified  to  the  unjust  ar- 
raignment. 1^0  friend  spoke  in  his  favor. 
Alone  against  the  world!  Buffeted, 
beaten,  spat  upon,  treated  as  a  madman, 
scourged,  crowned  with  thorns,  ridiculed, 
he  was  finally  sentenced.  The  cross  was 
loaded  on  his  shoulder,  and  out  through 


JESUS  CHRIST.  231 

the  streets  of  the  city,  and  up  the  hilly 
slopes,  he  stumbled  forward  to  die. 

6.  Then  came  Calvary.  They  nailed  Calvary, 
his  body  to  the  tree.  He  suffered  the  long 
drawn-out  torturous  death  of  crucifixion. 
Again  he  was  mocked,  reviled  and  scoffed 
at.  The  soldiers  sat  down  and  with 
heartless  indifference  "  watched  him 
there."  Those  who  passed  by  "  railed 
on  him,, wagging  their  heads."  "And  all 
his  acquaintance  and  the  women  that  fol- 
lowed with  him  from  Galilee,  stood  afar 
off."  The  storms  of  dark  perdition  beat 
against  him,  and  the  waves  of  desolateness 
passed  over  him.  The  creature  put  to 
death  his  Creator,  and  the  earth  which  he 
had  made  became  his  sepulchre. 

Many  men  have  suffered  and  died,  but  Jesus'  suf- 
none  like  Jesus.     He  was  absolutely  un-     ^oj-ge 
deserving  of  it.     He  could  feel  it  as  none     *^J^  , 
could.     And  he  was  so  gracious,   so  un- 
resentful  and  so  forgiving  through  it  all. 
This  is  why  the  world  weeps  as  it  sees  him 
in   Gethsemane,   at  his  trial,   on  the   Via 
Dolorosa,  and  on  the  lonely  hill. 

But   it  is  not  the  pathetic   alone  that  His  atone- 
holds  our  interest  in  the   sufferings   and     draws, 
death  of  Jesus  Christ.     We  behold  in  it 
the  atonement  of  God  for  the  sins  of  the 


THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

world.  He  gave  his  life  "  a  ransom  for 
many."  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  trans- 
gressions, lie  was  bruised  for  our  iniqui- 
ties; the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was 
upon  him;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are 
healed '^  (Isa.  53: 5),  The  death  that 
sent  a  shock  though  the  very  nerves  of 
nature  has  also  thrilled  the  world  of  men. 
The  consciousness  that  Jesus  Christ  has 
redeemed  them  by  his  blood  has  brought 
generation  after  generation  in  ever  in- 
creasing numbers  to  bedew  their  souls  by 
gazing  at  the  Sacrifice. 

IV.     His  Influence, 

The  reports  of  the  perfect  manhood,  the 
divine  nature,  the  attractive  disposition 
and  the  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ  would 
have  been  generally  questioned  by  later  ages 
had  there  not  been  the  influence  on  the 
disciples  which  he  did  have.  That  influence 
substantiates  all  the  rest. 

What  kind  of  men  were  these  disciples 
found.  to  begin  with  ?  They  were  very  ordinary 
men,  from  the  toiling  class,  without 
much  influence.  Deep  insight  was  not 
conspicuous  in  them.  They  were  not 
grossly  immoral  in  their  outward  acts, 
but  they  were  selfish  and  cowardly.  The 
things   of   sense,    the    superficial,   visible, 


The  men 
He 


JESUS  CHRIST.  233 

audible,  tangible  world  was  the  only  one 
in  which  they  really  lived.  They  had 
heard  of  God,  and  in  a  superstitious  way 
feared  and  obeyed  him,  but  their  whole 
life  was  bound  up  in  this  outward  world. 
He  was  in  their  minds  but  in  no  vital 
touch  with  their  lives.  Such  were  these 
men  when  Jesus  met  them. 

In  after  years  we  meet  these  same  men.  Their 
A  new  conception  of  the  world  has  taken  view^of 
hold  of  them.  God  is  not  far  off.  He  God. 
is  near,  controlling  the  winds  and  waves; 
in  the  grass  and  trees;  giving  life  to  the 
birds  and  beasts  and  caring  for  them; 
filling  land  and  sea  with  life;  in  man's 
body,  mind  and  heart;  in  nations  and 
races,  lifting  up  and  laying  low.  God  is 
the  life  of  the  world.  He  is  no  more  a 
logical  conception,  but  a  Life  and  a  Person 
pervading  everything.  They  touch  him 
every  moment.  They  commune  with  him, 
and  he  refreshes  their  souls,  and  strength- 
ens them.  They  know  he  is  bringing  all 
things  on  to  a  grand  end,  and  doing  it  well ; 
they  trust  him  and  are  resigned.  They 
have  caught  a  vision  of  the  world's  mean- 
ing and  have  fallen  into  harmony  with  it. 
It  is  the  expression  of  God  and  they  are 
expected  to  express  his  righteousness. 


234  THE  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Their  new  These  men's  personal  lives  have  changed 
too.  Their  lives  must  have  been  in  accord 
with  their  teachings  since  they  had  such 
wide  influence  through  their  teachings,  and 
their  manner  of  living  must  have  been  well 
known.  They  teach  obedience  and  filial 
care  in  the  home;  faithfulness,  kindness 
and  impartiality  among  friends  and  at 
work;  dependence  on  God  and  use  of  his 
Word  in  temptation;  and  courage,  en- 
durance and  unselfishness  in  suffering. 
IsTo  hardship  in  a  righteous  cause  should  be 
shunned.  Sin  must  be  crucified.  The 
body  is  the  temple  of  God.  The  whole  life 
must  be  lived  in  the  ever  present  con- 
sciousness that  man  is  the  channel  for  the 
life  of  God  which  fills  the  world. 

Their  new  We  discover  a  new  method  of  social  life 
in  them  too.  They  feel  themselves  united 
to  God  in  life.  As  a  consequence  they 
feel  a  union  of  purpose,  and  they  take  it 
to  be  their  duty  to  bring  God's  life  to  light 
in  other  lives.  They  are  "  co-workers  with 
God."  To  carry  out  this  purpose  and  as  a 
result  of  it  a  brotherhood,  the  Christian 
church,  comes  into  existence,  the  nucleus 
of  a  clean  society  on  earth.  The  social 
righteousness,  which  is  in  the  life  of  the 
Triune  God,  is   its  law.     Faith,  know!- 


JESUS  CHRIST.  235 

edge,    patience,    holiness,    brotherly-kind- 
ness and  charity  are  the  constant  practices. 

A  great  constraint  took  possession  of  the  Their  new 
lives  of  these  men.  The  vision  v^hich  they  fo^so°iSs. 
sav7  was  overpov^^ering.  To  them  every 
life  vs^hich  lacked  it  v^^as  wasted  and  lost. 
A  great  hope  laid  hold  of  them  too.  A 
future  loomed  up  in  which  they  saw  God's 
life  having  free  course  in  every  individual 
nation,  kindred,  and  tongue.  The  glorious 
sight  entranced  them.  Loyalty  shot  them 
through.  They  must  proclaim  it  and  give 
themselves  unsparingly  and  fearlessly  to 
its  realization.  And  we  see  them  do  it. 
The  little  group  of  men  went  out  from 
Jerusalem,  and  preached,  suffered  and 
died.  But  it  was  not  in  vain.  Their  mes- 
sage and  their  life  enlightened  and  kindled 
other  lives,  and  upturned  the  civilization 
of  the  world. 

It  was  all  because  of  Jesus  Christ.  Jesus  the 
They  felt  that  he  was  God.  They  saw  tfon.^** 
his  immanence  in  nature,  by  the  mani- 
festation of  his  power  in  wind,  wave, 
bread,  arm,  optic  nerve  and  body.  In 
the  Eesurrection,  and  for  forty  days 
after,  they  saw  him  use  the  physical  world 
at  will.  In  his  holy  and  self-giving  life 
they    observed    that    immanent    Presence 


236  ^^^  MAGNETISM  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

attaining  its  chief  purpose.  The  trans- 
figuration showed  the  glory  of  the  human 
body  and  the  grandeur  of  the  future. 
They  put  these  things  together  and  ar- 
rived at  their  interpretation  of  the  world 
and  of  human  life,  conduct  and  relations. 
The  promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  its 
fulfilment  assured  them  that  they  were 
right  in  their  assumptions. 

And  this  immanent  God  was  their  own 
Jesus.  It  was  their  precious  and  blessed 
Master  that  wanted  to  come  into  their  lives 
and  come  through  them  and  use  them.  Of 
course  they  would  allow  him.  If  they  had 
ten  thousand  lives  they  would  do  the  same, 
if  only  they  might  be  changed  into  the 
image  of  that  glorious  One  they  walked 
with  on  the  Judean  hills.  And  while  life 
lasted  they  would  spare  no  power,  and 
dread  no  foe,  in  their  effort  to  lead  him 
to  the  throne  of  every  human  life. 

There  is  in  every  human  life  a  polarity 
for  God.  Men  want  to  know  the  secret  of 
his  presence.  And  so  long  as  this  feeling 
of  need  exists  the  magnetism  of  the  Bible 
will  draw  men  to  examine  the  influence  on 
the  disciples  of  him  who  said,  "  Lo,  I  am 
with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world," — "  Jesus  Christ  the  same  yester- 
day, and  to  day,  and  for  ever." 


INDEX 


PAGE 

Ahriman 43 

Ahura  Mazda 43 

Analects,  The 46 

Anxiety  relieved 200-205 

Architecture,  influenced 25 

Argumentative  writings 60 

Arnold,  Matthew,  quoted....  14,  188 

Art,  influenced 23-26 

Artificial  moral  systems 126 

Assurance 199 

Atonement 185,  231 

Authors  of  the  Bible,  diversities    63 
experts  in  religion  148,  149 

Bacon  quoted 20 

Beecher,  H.  W.,  quoted 54 

Bereavement,  comfort  in 21 1 

Berry,  Geo.  R.,  quoted 122 

Bhagavadgita,  The 35 

Biography 58 

Blackstone  quoted 30 

Body,  teachings  concerning  the  217 
Books  of  Bible  complementary 

to  each  other 70 

Brotherhood,  of  man 130,  234 

unknown  in  pagan  society. .     17 

Browning  quoted 182,  183 

Buckle  quoted 14,  19 

Buddhism 37-42 

Caine,  Hall,  his  obligations  to 

the  Bible 25 

Calumniated  comforted,  The...  208 

Calvary,  sufferings  of 231 

Canon, The 55,56 

Care  of  God 200 

Carlyle  quoted 14 

Character  portrayed 61,  108 

Chinese  Primer,  The 46 

Christianity  miraculous 167 

Church,  The ■ 141,  234 

Clearness  of  Scripture 78 

Code  of  Manu 36 

Comfort 196-215 

Commerce,  influenced 27 

Comprehensiveness      of       the 

Bible 65,79,  130 

Conduct,  guided 201 

recreated 190-195 


237 


PAGE 

Confucianism 46-48 

Congruity  of  Jesus'  portrait....  223 
Consistency  of  Bible  teachings  .     68 

Courage  of  Jesus 226 

Creation,  explains  origins 104 

God's  glory,  aim  of  . . .  104 

Story  poetic 103 

Creed,  worthy  one  made  possi- 
ble   190 

Daniel 193 

Davids,  Rhys,  quoted  39 

Davidson,  A.  B,,  cited  Ill 

Death,  comfort  at 213 

Denunciations  of  Jesus 224 

De  Quincey  quoted 30 

Dignity  of  the  Bible 80 

Disciples,  as  Jesus  found  them.  232 
their  changed  life.  233-235 
Distinctions  concerning  moral- 
ity   121-123 

Diversified  unity  of  the  Bible.  54-71 

Divisions,  general  , 60,84 

Doctrine  of  the  Mean,  Tlie 46 

Dramatic  writings 84 

Economic  morality 132 

Education,  influenced 19-23 

Emotional  power  of  Jesus 218 

Envy,  comfort  against 208 

Epics 93 

Equality  of  Christ  with  God  the 

Father 221 

Essays 91 

Ethics,  of  Buddhism 40 

Confucianism 47 

Mohammedanism..  48,49 

Parseeism 44 

progressive 62 

Expert     character    of     teach- 
ings   148-151 

Faith 188, 182-187,  204 

Farrar  quoted 208 

Fear  as  a  motive 179 

Figures  of  speech 74,  75 

Fivefold  structure 83 

Foreshadowings 1 .58 

Forgiveness  of  God 186 


238 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Forms  of  great  literature 81-99 

Fortitude  of  Jesus 226 

"  Four  Great  Truths  "  of  Gau- 
tama       39 

"  Four  Stages  "  of  Gautama 40 

Freedom,  of  God 153,  150 

respected 129 

Fundamental  truths 104,  117 

Future,  The,  in  Buddhism 42 

Christianity 142 

Hinduism 36 

Mohammedanism..    50 

Garrison,  Wm.  Lloyd,  quoted  . .     19 

Gautama 34,  38-42 

Gethsemane,  sufferings  of 230 

God,  absent  in  Buddhism 42 

and  sin 114,203 

as  seen  by  the  worshipful. .  188 

as  Trinity 113 

definition  of 52,136 

his  atonement 185 

care 200 

forgiveness 186 

grace 184 

invitation 186 

justice 179 

long-suffering 183 

has  revealed  himself,  111- 

114,  136,  141,  142,  156 

in  Confucianism 46-48 

Hinduism 35 

Mohammedanism 49 

Parseeism 43 

uot  fixed 153,156 

works  towards  an  end 115 

Gospel,  in  the  Old  Testament, 

The 164,165 

narratives  not  Buddhis- 
tic     38 

Government,  influenced 29 

Grace  of  God 184 

Great  Learning 46 

Green,  J.  H.,  quoted 15 

Guide  for  conduct 127-134 

Haman 192 

Harris  quoted  — 17 

Hebrew,  extra-biblical  writings.    55 

personality 12,149 

Hendrix,  Bishop,  quoted 217 

Hessey,  Archdeacon,  quoted —  125 

Hinduism 32-37 

History,  in  the  Bible 57,  9.5,  106 

proves     value     of     the 

Bible 21,22 

Holy  Spirit,  The 113,  173 

Hulsean  Lectures,  Trench 150 

Humanity  of  Jesus 216 

Huss,  John,  quoted 207 

Illustrations  of  the  Bible 74, 

75,  106,  191-195 
Image  of  God 109 


PAGE 

Immanence  of  Christ 235 

Immoralities  of  heroes 120,  123 

Immortality 214 

Imprecations 120,  125 

Individuals,  influenced 13 

Inexhaustibility 150 

Influence  of,  the  Bible  on  the 

world 11-30 

Jesus 227,232-236 

Inspiration 73,  73,  169 

Intellect,  Treasures  for  the.  100-117 

In  tellectual  power  of  Jesus 217 

Intensity  of  the  Bible 81,  96 

Invitations  of  God 186 

Irving,  Edward 215 

"  Isms" 116 

Jackson,  Andrew,  quoted 80 

Jesus  Christ,  his  character..  224-227 

example 129 

influence..  232-236 

oratory .... 98 

personality. 216-224 
sufferings   and 
death  . . .  228-233 

titles 223 

a  miracle  of  godli- 
ness   167 

the        miraculous 
preparation    for 

him 168 

Joyous  spirit  of  the  Bible 78 

Judgment 178 

Justice  of  God 179 

Karma •    39 

Kingdom,  prophets'    vision    of 

the 160 

Kinship  with  God 146 

Knox,  John,  quoted 215 

Koran,  The 48 

Krishna 34 

Kuenen  quoted 38 

Labor,  influenced 26 

Lands  of  the  Bible 63 

Languages  of  the  Bible 56 

Law,  in  the  Bible 59 

influenced 29 

Lessing  quoted 23 

Life  abundant HO 

Light  of  nature  insufficient 127 

Literature,  choicest 72-99 

influenced 24 

of      early      church, 

extra-biblical 55 

of    Hebrews,  extra- 
biblical 55 

Loneliness,  comfort  in 209-211 

Long-suflfering  of  God 183 

Love,  of  Jesus 224 

redemptive  power  of. .  182-187 
unrequited 210 


INDEX. 


239 


PAGE 

Loyalty 146 

Lyrics 85 

McCurdy,  J.  F.,  quoted 122 

Map:nanimity 147 

Mahabharata 35 

Mahaynna,  The 37 

Malice,  comfort  against 208 

Man,  a  social  being 110 

deepest  experiences  of 149 

diverse  character  of 61 

duties  of 130-134 

greatness  of 202,  203 

in  Hinduism 86 

inequalities  of 204 

inspiration  and  healing  of.  227 

made  in  God's  image 109 

need  of  moral  guide  for....  127 

origin  of 107 

true  character  of 108 

unattained  possibilities  of .  180 

Miracles 166-169 

Misfortune,  comfort  against 205 

Mistreatment  of  the  Bible 72,  73 

Mohammedanism 48-50 

Moods  of  the  devout 145-148 

Moral  guidance 118-134 

Moral  teaching,  progress  in 62 

Morals,  influenced 16-19,  190-195 

Moses,  character  of 193 

oratory  of 97 

Motive  power 172-195 

MuUer,  F.  Max,  quoted 32,  51 

Music,  influenced 25 

Nations,  influenced 15 

Nature,  its  factors 154 

not  fickle 152 

uniformity  of 154 

Nehemiah 193 

Nirvana 40 

Obedience 147 

Old    Testament,    instinct     for 

Christ 219 

miracles 1 69 

prophecy. ...  93, 158-166,  220,  222 

Opposition  to  the  Bible 12 

Oratory 60,  96-99 

Origin  of  man 107 

the  world 92,  104 

Ottley,  Principal,  quoted 121 

Pagan  morality 16 

Painting,  influenced 25 

Papal  countries  behind 21,  22 

Parallelism 82 

Parseeism 42-48 

Pathos 77 

Patience  of  Jesus 225 

Paul,  Epistles  of 18,  131 

oratory  of 97 

Perfection  of  Jesus 219,  222 


PAGE 

Persecution  made  light 206-208 

Personal  morality 133 

Personality,  Hebrew 12,  149 

of  Jesus 216-224 

Philosophy 91,  105 

Poetry 59,  84-91 

Political  morality 131 

Power,  vital 172-195 

Predictions 166 

Pre-existence  of  Christ 221 

Problems 92,  114 

Progress,  of  man !     12 

in  moral  and  spiritual  teach- 
ings      62 

Prohibitions  of  the  Bible 129 

Promise,  The 160 

agent  of 161-164 

Prophecy 93,158-166 

Prophets' insight 159,165 

moral  teachings 130 

Protestant  countries  advanced  21 ,  22 

Proverbs 91,  130 

Providence 105 

Psychology 107 

Public  ministry  of  Jesus,  suffer- 
ings of  the 229 

Puranas,  The , 34 

Puritan  influence 18 

Purity 77 

Purpose  in  things 115,  118,  136 

Questions  concerning  Bible  mor- 
ality   118-126 

Rama 34 

Redemption  co-operative 1 39 

Reformers 209 

Religions  tested  by  their  books. .     33 

Religious  influence 13-15 

Renaissance,  The 24 

Renan  quoted 196 

Repentance 138,  173-182 

Responsiveness 147 

Rest 148 

Resurrection  of  the  body  212.214,218 

Retribution 143 

Revelation Ill 

Reverence 146 

Rewards 1 43 

Rhapsodies 9.3,  94 

Righteousness 188-195 

Ruskin  quoted 26 

Sacred  books.  Among  the 31-53 

Sanctification 140 

Saul 192 

Raving  impulses 144 

Science  and  the  Bible 100-104 

Sculpture,  influenced 25 

Self-condemnation 173 

Separation,  comfort  in 210 

Seren  i  ty 147 

Seriousness 77 


MO 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Sevenfold  structure 83 

Shastras,  The 33 

Sickness,  comfort  in 213 

Sin,  accumulative 176 

allowance  for 176 

and  God 93,114,203 

forgiveness  of 186 

in  Hinduism 36 

in  Parseeism , 45 

relief  from  its  weight 197 

sinfulness  of 177 

varieties  of 143,173,174 

Sinlessness  of  Jesus 223 

Sinners,  comfort  for 196-199 

described 173,  174,  177 

Sins  tolerated 119,  121,  122 

Smith,  G.  A.,  quoted 29 

Smith,  R.  Bosworth,  quoted. ...    50 

Social  morality 130, 131 

Society,  influenced 18 

its  basis 110,  113 

of  Christian  lands.. .  18,  234 

of  pagan  lands 16 

Solomon's  oratory 97 

Soul  in  Hinduism,  The 36 

Spirit  of  the  Bible 76 

Spiritual    teachings,     develop- 
ment of 62 

of  Buddhism 41 

of  Confucianism 48 

of  Mohammedanism...    50 
uniquely  expert...  135-151 

Spread  of  Bible  influence 14,19 

Stagnancy  of  nations 11 

Strong,  A.  H.,  quoted.... 113 

Style 78 

Subject  matter 61,  62,  76 

Sufferings  of  Jesus 228-231 

Supernaturalism,  Reasonable.. 

152-171 

Supremacy  of  moral  teachings. . 
126-129 

Tantras,  Tlie 35 


PAGE 

Temptation 206 

Tenderness  of  Jesus 224 

Tennyson  quoted 174,  178-180 

Themes 76 

Thought,  great  objects  of 91 

Threefold  structure 83 

Times  of  the  Bible 63 

Titles  of  Jesus  Christ 223 

Tolerance  towards  other  relig- 
ions   81,  32 

Trench  cited 150 

Trial  of  Jesus 230 

Trinity,  The 113 

Tripitaka,  The 37 

Trust 138 

Truthfulness 66,  67,  79,  149 

Types 158,  159 

Uniformity  of  nature 154 

Unique  features 82 

Unity  of  the  Bible 68-70 

Universality 65,79,  130 

Unseen,  The 77 

Uprightness,  examples  of...  193-195 

Varieties  of  Christians 145 

saving  impulses. . . .  144 

sins 143 

Vedas,  The 33 

Via  Dolorosa 230 


Wars  of  extermination 119,  124 

Webster,  Daniel,  quoted 25, 96 

Wickedness,  examples  of 192 

Wilderness  experience  of  Jesus  229 

Will  power  of  Jesus 218 

World,  The 101-106,  111,  136,  233 

Worship,  of  the  Mohammedans    49 

spirit  of,  imparted..  188-190 
Wu  Ting  Fang  quoted. . , 23 

43 


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